Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty?
by RECKLESS SOLDIER-MS
Summary: Gundam Seed Purpose sequal. Two years after the first war, new organisations push the world into a new war. Vincent Rach struggles with his role as a leader and Shinn Asuka learns of battle and revenge. The lines between right and honour become blurred!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Gundam, Sensou is a fictional organisation of my own design and the character of Vincent Rach is my property

Branden Kamal and the Murasama Gundam are the property of 00virtuezero

Kojiro Sasaki and the Kenshin Gundam are the property of Kojiro-kun

This is the sequal to Gundam Seed Purpose, so if anyones a new reader finish reading that to avoid spoilers. To returning readers from Gundam Seed Purpose I thank you for your patience and for loyaly following my Gundam series. Hope every body enjoyed their holidays.

The Sequal to Purpose is a heavy rewrite of the Destiny saga with more of the old Seed characters returning along with the Destiny characters. Not only is their the involvement of Sensou in the Second Bloody Valentine war but also a new faction consisting of black Zaku Kai's (from Gundam 0080) and a mysterious sniper and the mercenary Silver Mask, but the question that haunts the key figures of the war is whether this Silver Mask is the original, a new man wearing the mask or an ace pilot from the war whom has somehow cheated death?

Your welcome to speculate and theorise, but also enjoy the first two chapters of the fic!

_And on another note, italics are segments of Gekido's book and his advice to Vincent, that's right Gekido's inner voice and snarky comments are still present even if he's not there, Enjoy yourselves!_

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny Or Liberty

Prologue: Nightmares of the past

Onogoro Island, the sight of the brutal clash between Orb and Earth Alliance forces. A day of tragedy that people tried to prevent through peace negotiations, or effort on the battlefield. A family of four ran through the forest, carrying enough baggage for a new life in the Plants. Shinn Asuka would occasionally look up at the battle going on between the Gundam known as the Freedom and the other four Earth Alliance machines. The pale blue one broke off from the group, attacking nearby Orb machines. He then saw other families running past them, carrying no bags or supplies for their futures in new countries. A brown and gold machine swooped over them, shooting at a black and red bird like armour. It was then that Mayu's pink mobile slipped out of her pocket, rolling down the hill. Their mother pulled on Mayu's arm, trying to get her to move.

"Come on we need to get to the escape boats" Their father said.

"No my phone!" Mayu squirmed.

"I'll get it!" Shinn said.

"SHINN!"

But Shinn ignored his father's cries, jumping down the hill, skidding through the dirt and grabbing a tree for support. He grabbed the phone, looking at it for just a moment before he was thrown back by a shockwave. Landing on the dirt just feet from the escape ships, Shinn shook his head as he got up off the floor. He widened his eyes as he saw a Strike Dagger with a missing left arm standing over where he and his family stopped. The machines head was looking down for a full minute before it flew away. Was his family okay? Shinn needed to know. He ran up the hill as fast as he could and widened his eyes in pure horror as he saw what remained of his family. They were just a mass of flesh and blood underneath the Strike Daggers broken left arm. Shinn fell to his knees, tears running down his face. He coughed and gasped as he locked fingers with his sister's arm, the only thing that was left of her. Shinn looked up at the sky, watching the fight between the Freedom and the other Gundams. This time he looked at the scene with anger, people had been fighting for years and they still hadn't learned. The Athna's were to blame, so was the Earth Alliance and especially that Strike Dagger pilot. Shinn Asuka screamed to the heavens, a piercing scream that would haunt a pilot's ears forever.

* * *

Vincent lunged forward, awaking from his nightmare. Pressing his hand against his forehead, Vincent growled in frustration. Time and time again he saw the remains of that poor girl Mayu Asuka, then that awful scream. Two years had passed since that time and in those two years the Sensou had annihilated most terrorist threats and war profiteering organisations. Gekido would have been proud at how much his legacy had grown. From single office rooms to five floor embassies, from a space frigate to a full fleet, from a small team to a worldwide army. They were seen as both heroes and bullies by the people and Vincent understood their views. Basically they were butting in on people's business, but if their actions prevented wars, if their fights prevented full-scale battle would their sacrifices be worth it. Leaning back on his hands, Vincent looked at the book on his bedside table. It was Gekido's personal journal, filled with ramblings on the people that pissed him off, his thoughts on certain battles and his Sensou plan.

Getting up off his bed, Vincent turned to his wardrobe, deciding to put on his uniform. Whilst most of the Sensou pilots wore regular civilian clothing or military uniforms, Vincent wore something to honour Gekido Jaeger. A red sleeveless shirt, designed to be near identical to the one that Gekido wore for most of his life, a pair of camouflage trousers, black military boots and a pair of gloves. He then reached for the standard Sensou uniform jacket. It was a grey jacket with a red symbol for rage on his shoulder, regular Sensou member's bared grey jackets with symbols for war depending on their country and camouflage fatigues. Despite Vincent's American heritage he wanted to honour Gekido's Japanese name (rage). And he was the commander of the Sensou forces and their leader in moral issues. If he told them to fight, they would fight. Walking across the corridors, Vincent made his way to the command centre. Rubbing his eyes as he entered, Vincent walked to the side of a red haired woman dressed in a white and red Sensou uniform.

"How can you be up so early?" Vincent asked.

"I've been living in Japan for a while now Vince, you just got here yesterday so your not used to the time…I know why I'm up early why are you?" She asked.

"Persistent nightmares, you ever get them?"

"Yeah, you still remember that Rau kidnapped me?"

"Sorry…you should be worse off than me"

"Vincent, whatever happened it wasn't your fault and even if it was look at what you're doing now…you're a hero, whoever doesn't forgive you is an idiot"

Vincent yawned, he honestly knew that Flay Alster was trying to cheer him up, but he really didn't want to listen to someone else tell him to deal with his issues. He had enough of that with Zack Tempest. The new type mercenary joined up and later left. Vincent sighed, at least he still had some allies left, five American pilots had been the start of his military, now he had African pilots, Korean, Japanese, English, even pilots from Orb and the Plants.

"Thanks Flay, after this run I heard you'd be going to Orb" Vincent said.

"Well your sources are wrong, I'm going to the Plants, I haven't been to Kyusai's grave in a while so I've decided to go there" Flay explained.

"Whatever, anyway lets get to work, how's the situation here?" Vincent asked.

"We managed to negotiate with the terrorists and come to a diplomatic solution, to be honest Vincent I think once they saw that we were getting involved they decided to reach a compromise that favoured the government more than them, but that's not why I asked you to be here"

"Why did you call me here then?" Vincent asked.

"The Chairman of ZAFT requested a meeting!"

That got Vincent's attention, he had heard of the new Chairman of the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom Treaty but had never actually seen him. He never read a newspaper report about the man, nor a news video, he only heard about him from the word of other people. Vincent could best describe Durandal as charismatic, if he'd been in a presidential election he would have gotten the majority of the votes. But since he was a coordinator he became the Chairman of ZAFT and leader of the Plants. Everyone loved him; Vincent had never heard a negative word when he had been to the Plants. From time to time he and a few other pilots would go into space to track pirates. The end of those pirate hunts would often result in a trip to one of the colonies.

"Why would the chairman want to meet me?" Vincent asked, rubbing his eyes as he and Flay walked through the corridors of the base.

"He'll be at ZAFT armoury one overlooking the production of some of ZAFT's latest machines, Kira tells me that Cagalli will be speaking with him concerning technicians from Morgenroutte that are working with him" Flay said.

"Using technology from Orb"

"Yes, I've met with the chairman myself, he's actually quite charming although I don't think Cagalli will get on with him, considering this is a negotiation between two countries he feels that Sensou should overlook the negotiations to ensure that both groups reach a decision that benefits both" Flay explained, typing in the code to the lab.

Despite their view on preventing war, Sensou wasn't above creating new weapons. The lab wasn't a small classroom for chemicals, but a huge warehouse. Vincent slapped his cheeks as he walked into the lab, hiding his tired expression. Mobile suits walked around the room, carrying crates and looking at weapons while scientists worked.

The Primary machine of the Sensou faction was the GM, a simple mobile suit armed with a beam rifle, Vulcan's and the standard shield and sabre. Ace pilots could upgrade to the GM Custom, a more bulky version of the GM with extra armour and a more powerful rifle. The GM came in two models, the standard GM for use on Earth and in space and the GM E model a mobile suit designed solely for Earth. This mobile suit would be fitted for its particular missions. For example if it was to fight in the desert it would be given desert armour and the primary focus would be on weapons that wouldn't overheat and would be effective in the heat of the desert. Another mobile suit for the Sensou was the Gun Cannon and Guntank mobile suits. While the Gun cannon was a heavy artillery mobile suit for space and Earth the Guntank was only effective on ground.

Vincent and Flay walked towards a group of people working on one of the latest prototype weapons. Several large, very large wires had been attached to what looked like a giant Gundam head, looking straight at a powered up Gundam. The Gundam was the Murasama, personal mobile suit of Branden Kamal, a Middle Eastern recruit and former Earth Alliance soldier. He sat inside the mobile suit, tapping the controls impatiently, but also somewhat anxiously adjusting the collar of his traditional grey Sensou jacket. At the Gundam Head were several other recruits. One was wearing a pair of glasses, with purple clothes that matched his long purple hair. Beside him tapping on a holographic pad was Kojiro Sasaki, a young Japanese Man, Eighteen like most of the Gundam pilots and with shoulder length black hair and a black Sensou jacket with black fatigues.

"Tieria, Sasaki, I don't know about this test, are you sure this thing wont blow up Murasama?" Branden asked.

"We're pretty sure!" Kojiro said casually before he pressed a final button.

The Gundam Head's eyes suddenly lit up, the other recruits put their hands to their ears as the machine released a screeching sound. A wave flew from the Head's V-fin, slamming into the Murasama's silver V-fin. Branden yelled as the Gundam's phase shift deactivated and fell to the ground.

"It's all right, everyone keep working!" Vincent said, drawing everyone's attention away from the Gundam while Flay shook her head.

The Murasama's hatch opened and Branden furiously walked towards the two Gundam pilots.

"Are you two crazy, how could you fire that thing at Murasama if you…"

"He was joking!" Tieria deadpanned.

Branden grinded his teeth together while Kojiro walked away.

"I apologise for the trauma Major, but the test was a complete success, the trial system will deactivate the weapon and propulsion systems of a mobile suit but enable the pilot to exit the machine, that way the pilots wont be trapped inside their machines during a battle" Tieria explained.

"You didn't really think they'd test a weapon without being absolutely sure it wouldnt cause any permanant damage did you Branden?" Flay asked.

"Listen Chairwoman, you're a pencil pusher, I'm a soldier, Murasama and I should be fighting not playing guinea pigs" Branden growled.

"How has the portable version been going?" Vincent asked.

"Incomplete, its difficult to focus on one task when we have so many missions" Tieria said.

"Focus on the information network for now, I actually came here for Kojiro and Branden, I want them to come with me to the Plants!" Vincent said.

"Coordinator central huh, we expecting resistance?" Branden asked.

"No, but just in case I want you guys to bring your Gundams"

"In other words we're walking into the unknown"

"Actually we'll be meeting Supreme Chairman Gilbert Durandal" Flay said.

"Durandal, I still don't get why Clyne didn't appoint herself, I always thought being a politician was a public service, she ain't doing a service singing to little kids in Orb" Branden said.

Flay shoved Branden's chest with a frown. He turned his head, seeing several mechanics that had stopped working. With a growl he remembered that Lacus being in Orb wasn't public knowledge, and was best kept close to the chest.

"What are you idiots staring at, get back to work!" Branden ordered.

Vincent rubbed his eyes in frustration as he walked towards a Gundam with Samurai style armour and hair coming out of its helmet. Kojiro sat beside the Gundam's leg, in deep meditation.

"Kojiro, pack a bag for a trip to space, bring the Kenshin with you" Vincent said.

Kojiro nodded his head, prepared to follow the orders he was given as always. He had formally been an Orb pilot; in fact he was officially a liaison between the two military forces. His contacts had told him of Cagalli's decision to see the chairman but he didn't think much of it, his expertise was in combat not politics. Likewise Branden didn't think much of the situation, it was just another negotiation better suited for Sensou's diplomatic corp.

"I want the Jegan and the samurai Gundams put onto a Salamis class ship, have the Cape Town crew meet in Twenty four hours for deployment to space" Vincent told one of the technicians.

The Technician nodded his head before running off to gather help. Vincent, knowing that there was a good few minutes before the Cape Town would be ready decided that he would buy some time in his office. He walked into his room, throwing his jacket on his chair and jumping onto his bed. Looking at the bed to his side he saw the notebook of Gekido Jaeger. The short tempered but honourable grey haired pilot had been a mentor to Vincent in the later stages of the war. In Gekido's will, his notebook had been left to Vincent while the riches of his adopted father were left to the clones of Gekido's adopted siblings.

'Gilbert Durandal' Vincent thought as he reached for the book and turned to the first of many pages Gekido had written for his benefit.

_Vincent, I'm gonna give you some quick advice about politicians, they're smooth talking assholes who always hide behind promises and speeches and one thing you need to learn about them is that they're always looking to carry out their ambitions, whether those ambitions benefit their people or not. A true king in this world is a rare find, your gonna have to form your own opinion of what a true king is but then again you could always look at my book, where the hell would you be without my advice huh?_

Vincent chuckled at his old friends choice of words. He flipped onto his feet and removed his case from under his bed.

'Gekido the Plants have had two years of peace, your old friends are now living in Orb…are any of them going to see war again?'

_One thing that Lacus and Kira didn't get was that war is eternal, and thus Sensou must be eternal. Wars will never end, peace will last for an uncertain amount of time until the next conflict comes, be ready to prevent that conflict Vincent and if you cant…then choose a side and fight in it!_

* * *

He sat in the cockpit of his machine, his eyes closed as the eyes of the Gundam looked out into deep space, the two orbs shining their green colours. The Gundam was a small frame mobile suit built for speed with rocket boosters on the tips of its feet and shoulders. It had a backpack with two powerful vernier thrusters on its left shoulder was its main long range armaments, a hyper bazooka and a rail rifle with a beam pistol attached to the hip armour and two beam sabres on the backpack. The Gundam's faceplate was the standard Gundam head design while the helmet had horns pointing outward along with the gold v-fin, much like the head of a dragon.

"Vernier thrusters ready to engage, Arc Generator Version 2 solar energy capacity full, weapons fully loaded, reserve batteries charged, ready Phase Shift armour!" The Pilot said.

The dull grey armour of the machine lit up, switching to an orange colour with a dark grey faceplate, hands, frontal waist armour and feet, with red lines across the chest and helmet.

"Dusk Aero Gundam ready for war…time for me to put this mask to work" The Pilot said.

As it flew around the moon, the light given off by the rock illuminated the cockpit. Sitting in the seat was a young man dressed in a red suit, with silver padding across his chest and gloves and a silver aerodynamic mask covering his face.

"Another war…this'll be fun!" Silver Mask said before a glowing red slit appeared over the right side of his mask.

War was inevitable!

Next Chapter 1: First Shots

* * *

Prologue ends with the introduction of Silver Mask


	2. First Shots

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Zack Tempest and Anna Fair are the property of SSJ-Jolt, the mobile suits the Neo Raptors are also his property

Darcel Archer, the Slaughter Gundam and Noah Bagal and the members of his crew belong to 00virtuezero

Joe Daigoji belongs to mechapunk87

Lyna Crosswind belong to BIGGZ1344

The debut of more characters in this, including the "ultimate" or flawless Extended from Gundam Seed Purpose, their names and their new Gundams are revealed in this chapter

Another mobile suit from the UC era introduced as well, The Jegan is based on the old Char's Counterattack model btu with greyer armour. The Kampfer and Zaku Kai's are also both from UC 0080 (the year and the series lol :)

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty?

Chapter 1: First Shots

Vincent leant his head against his hand, looking out of the window of the shuttle. A question he always asked himself was whether the future of the human race was in space? Other questions included whether or not Shinn Asuka had stayed in the Plants. But Vincent's priority was gauging the new minister of the Plants. Chairman Durandal of ZAFT. Looking to his side, Vincent raised an eyebrow; Branden was leaning back into his seat, snoring whilst Kojiro was reading a book. Flay however was sitting with a laptop, working as usual but keeping a roll of flowers rested on her lap. She obviously intended on seeing Kyusai Thanos's grave after the meeting.

"We're approaching the Pegasus now Commander" Flay's pilot said.

"Thank you, Branden wake up!" Vincent said, snapping Branden out of his sleep.

"God damn body clock" Branden growled.

"Our Gundam's are on the Pegasus correct?" Kojiro asked.

"Yes along with the heart pack, my Jegan is being kept on the shuttle we'll be using to meet with Chairman Durandal"

"So hang on, our Gundam's get left on Buskirk's shitty ship while you get to take your mobile suit out for a spin?" Branden asked.

"I might not even be piloting the suit, its just a show of good faith on our part, Durandal's showing us ZAFT's mobile suits so it's fair we get to show him just one of ours" Vincent said, floating over to the side door as the shuttle docked with the Base type command ship the Pegasus.

Two other Salamis Kai Class ships were stationed with the Pegasus, a white and red battle ship given the term Base class ship because of its bigger guns. Base class ships were the Sensou factions equivalent to ships of the Archangel and Dominion's calibre. Flay, Vincent and the two accompanying Gundam pilots floated out of the shuttle to be welcomed by the Pegasus's captain.

"Kuzzey, it's good to see you again" Flay said, wrapping her arms around her old friends neck.

Kuzzey Buskirk, Vincent remembered when the young man volunteered to become part of Sensou. He had read the reports on Kuzzey's service on the Archangel. Though he wasn't an exemplary soldier he still had the best of intentions and a desire to make up for his cowardice during the battle of Orb. In two years of service Kuzzey had risen to the rank of Captain second class.

"Good to see you Chairwoman Alster!" Kuzzey said, returning the hug and saluting Vincent and the two pilots.

"Come on Kuzzey quit being so formal, you should come with us too, a chance to see Cagalli again and meet Athrun…I mean Alex" Flay corrected herself.

"No, I never met Alex so there's no big connection there and Cagalli scared the hell out of me" Kuzzey said, suppressing a shiver.

He walked around the hanger looking over the assortment of GM's that had been stored in the ship. The Kenshin and Murasama Gundam's were stored away from the other mobile suits. Locks were placed on the piloting controls so that only Kojiro and Branden could use them. Vincent's own mobile suit, the Jegan was placed on the shuttle they would take to Armoury One. The Jegan was a grey mobile suit, dull armour and small enough to be a manoeuvrable all round unit with a beam rifle, two sabres and a shield with rocket launchers attached. Kuzzey walked into the Pegasus's bridge, strapping on his space suit.

"Commander Rach, Chairwoman Alster I wish you luck, we'll be in radio contact in case something goes wrong" Kuzzey said.

"Stay at condition blue Captain, keep an eye on the colony and warn us if pirates are incoming" Vincent said, taking a seat on the shuttle he, Flay and the Gundam pilot's would be taking.

"Captain, Commander our ZAFT escort is here, its Bagal's unit" One of the CIC crew said.

"Great, that wacko!" Branden grunted.

"Yeah, we're still on the horn Kamal" A voice said over the radio.

Noah appeared on the screen, sitting lazily on his captain's chair with his other pilots beside him. The Bagal unit was composed of older pilots in comparison to other units. They were all veterans of the Bloody Valentine war, while others were veterans of other smaller conflicts such as Alan Gerwald, captain of the Nasca Class ship the Hades. Alan was a black and purple coat officer with black greying hair and Onyx coloured eyes. The Hades was a black and grey destroyer with the Kanji symbol for hell on its armour. Other members of Noah's crew that were in the room were Linda Gladys a Twenty six year old red coat pilot with short brown hair and blue eyes.

"Guard duty seems to be a bit of a downfall for your unit isn't it Commander?" Vincent asked.

"Screw you, we're low on soldiers at the moment, even with Chairman Durandal's recruitment campaigns we've still got old soldiers from the war leaving, hell I've had to train rookies cause all the decent teachers left and joined Thanos" Noah explained.

"Thanos, you mean Dagger Thanos?" Flay asked.

"Yeah, the guy just up and left ZAFT after the war, taking all of his soldiers with him and a whole lot of veterans that respected the guy, last I heard they were somewhere near Mars hunting smugglers and pirates, he's quite a charismatic guy, apparently he has a new squad of pilots now, all of whom follow him like a king"

"What do you think of the man?" Vincent asked.

"He's a pilot that surpasses Kira Yamato and a leader that would leave Lacus Clyne in the dust, or at least that's what I've heard, I only met the man once during a skirmish against a contingent of Earth Alliance ships and mercenaries they had hired…damn good fighter, and cold as ice, he drank most of my men under the table too"

"The guy drinks sake for god's sake, how do we compete with that?" One of Noah's other pilots asked in the background.

"Anyway just wanted to give you guys a warning not to cause trouble for Durandal, he's a well respected man around here, he paid more attention to us soldiers than Zala did, and Zala was a soldier himself for Christ sake"

"Thanks Noah, see you again some time" Vincent said, cutting the line as the shuttle docked with the colony.

* * *

Armoury one was like Heliopolis, a colony where civilians lived but with a military base built on its grounds. The base itself was a huge airfield with bunkers for mobile suits. Zack Tempest took notice of the layout when he and Mayura had been there. He and the red haired former Orb pilot had briefly joined Sensou, but differences of opinion led to Zack leaving the organisation. However he didn't return to Jupiter or the Beowulf Company. Instead he became an independent mercenary with Mayura at his side. The two lovers had come to Armoury one to escort a group of merchants trading parts with ZAFT. Their job was done and the two of them sat in the courtyard of the mall. Zack had his head on Mayura's lap, looking up at the girl with a smile across his face.

"Your looking very comfortable with this Mr Tempest" Mayura said.

"Yeah I am, feels weird getting away from all the fighting you know, I mean sure there's still conflict in the world but its good to see that regular people in space can still live peaceful lives, sorry I didn't take you to Jupiter" Zack said.

"I want what you want Zack, and you wanted to stay here, but right now what I want is a nice relaxing day without anyone bothering us"

"Sure, no business today, our cargo's been dropped off and the pilots of the Raven's nest are going to enjoy some R and R" Zack smiled.

Zack's eyes drifted towards a group of teenagers walking by one of the shops. The three of them were at least sixteen and a bunch that stuck out in a crowd. At the lead was a green haired boy with pale skin while behind him was a shorter boy with thick bright blue hair. The girl following them was wearing a white and purple dress, with purple eyes and a mane of gold hair. He narrowed his eyes at the girl, recognising her from somewhere.

'Hmmm, she resembles someone I know, but who?' Zack wondered.

The girl smiled as she span around, dancing for some strange reason. Then she bumped into a dark haired boy with red eyes. Zack suppressed a chuckle as the boy had accidentally grabbed her breast.

'Lucky pervert' Zack thought.

He looked up towards the walkway people took to Durandal's office. It seemed that Cagalli had come to speak with Durandal about the Orb technicians that now worked for ZAFT. That much Zack assumed without his "intuition". He was a Newtype, so he had an awareness of his surroundings and an understanding of events and people that others wouldn't have. And he didn't need Newtype senses to know that Cagalli would be confrontational at this meeting.

"Say Zack, it'll probably be a while before Anna gets back…want to do something alone?" Mayura asked.

"Hmmm there is a public toilet somewhere"

"Something romantic pervert" Mayura said, though she still smiled as Vincent kissed her neck.

Anna Fair watched the scene unfold with a hint of jealousy as always. She stood at the dress shop, though she didn't actually buy anything. The brown haired girl had blonde streaks in her hair and at sixteen she was…physically developing. At the end of the war Zack had recruited her into Sensou and she left with him and Mayura to form Raven's nest, a mercenary company that focused on helping merchants. Recently they had helped a small group of former Orb mechanics deliver mobile suit parts to the armoury. Now they could sit back and enjoy some R and R.

'Nothing in the shop fits me, it's all too girlish and all those girls flirting with the guy at the counter was just sickening, fake breasted sluts' Anna thought, huffing as she walked away from the shop.

She suddenly lost her footing and fell to the floor.

'Oh great job Anna, Zack probably saw that, way to look good in front of him' Anna thought to herself.

"May I help you miss?"

Anna looked up to see a pale hand. She grabbed the man's hand and allowed him to pull her onto his feet. He had quite a handsome face (though not as handsome as Zack) and wore a sharp red business suit and a hat on his short cut blue hair. She blushed as the man bowed, still holding her hand.

"Um thank you sir" She said.

"You should be more careful miss, I'm sure your friend's wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you" He said with a friendly smile.

"Why uh thank you for the advice Mr…"

"Yuridate, Jone Yuridate, sorry I cant stay and talk but my…little siblings are waiting for me, have a pleasant day Miss" He said, tipping his hat as he walked past.

Anna watched the man leave, rubbing her forehead for a moment. She hadn't felt anything from that man, it was almost as if he didn't exist to her senses. Zack had taken her in because of her developing Newtype abilities.

"Hey Anna, over here" Zack called.

Anna took one more glance at the Yuridate before running back to her friends. "Jone Yuridate" walked back to his "siblings", one of which had grown impatient.

"What took you so long" The bright blue haired boy asked.

"My apologies Auel, now lets get back to the mission" Jone said, casually walking ahead of the three teens.

They walked towards the meeting point, waiting for the arrival of their contact. After a few minutes a ZAFT jeep rolled up towards the sign they stood at. The two green coat pilots nodded to them, allowing them to get into the jeep.

"Do you have the money?" One of them asked.

"Rest assured you'll get your due, I would like to thank you on behalf of my contractors, who unfortunately are too cowardly to come here and start a fight themselves" Jone said, leaning his back against his seat.

The two green coat soldiers looked at the man sitting in their back seat and suppressed a shiver.

* * *

Athrun Zala, or Alex Dino as he went by now was disappointed; he had hoped Cagalli would be calmer in her approach. But at least she was presentable; her parliament uniform was a lot better than the baggy cargo trousers and tank tops she used to wear. In fact Cagalli had adjusted to her position, as Orb's chief representative quite well, though she still was snippy when people called her Princess. He loved her for her attitude, but her passion would cause her difficulty as a leader.

"Cagalli, Alex, its wonderful to see you again!"

Cagalli widened her eyes as she got closer and closer to Durandal's office. Standing just outside, accompanied by three Sensou soldiers was her brother's girlfriend Flay Alster.

"Flay!" Cagalli said.

"I barely recognised you Cagalli, nice suit" Flay said.

"Ditto to you, I cant remember the last time I saw you" Cagalli said as the two women hugged one another.

Athrun put his hand out to shake Flay's, but the girl simply threw her arms around him. He nervously patted her back, he had gotten slightly better at socialising but he was still a little awkward. Kojiro stood to attention, saluting his countries representative while Branden gave a much lazier wave.

"Chief Representative Athna, it's good to see you again" Vincent said, saluting Cagalli.

"Commander Rach…I assume you have a valid reason for being here" Cagalli said bitterly.

"I was invited Chief Representative, this is a negotiation between two countries, Sensou is here as mediators and security for Armoury One, Chairman Durandal also invited us"

"You mean he invited you, not three battleships and a former Blue Cosmos thug" Cagalli looked at Branden as she spoke.

For a moment Branden widened his eyes before grinding his teeth together.

"You bitch!" He growled.

"Major Kamal stand down!" Vincent said.

"You better watch your tongue Athha, I was at boot camp long before you left the comfort of Daddy's palace" Branden said.

Kojiro put a hand on the knife strapped to his belt while Alex moved in front of Cagalli. Noticing their defensive stances, Branden smirked as he stepped back.

"Once an Orb dog always an Orb dog eh Kojiro"

"I never tried to hide my loyalty, I've read that those who fight for a country are better than those who simply fight" Kojiro said calmly.

"Tell me Rach is Sensou intending on committing butchery again?" Cagalli asked.

Vincent shook his head and moved ahead towards the elevator that would lead them to the chairman's office. He stood in front of the other's, not wanting to make eye contact with Cagalli in case she'd pick at him some more. Branden avoided the group altogether, instead looking out of the elevator window.

"Nice place the Plants? Gotta admire coordinator flashiness, I suppose freakishly coloured hair isn't enough for them" Branden said, smirking as the two green coats escorting them glared.

While Flay shook her head at Branden's actions Vincent remained uninterested, instead looking at the green of the colony. There were so many lakes and trees as well as buildings. It always amazed him how well designed the Plants were. Then he realised they could be broken just as easily, and even the most peaceful place could become a war ground. Shaking his head, Vincent rubbed his eyes.

'Maybe I shouldn't have gotten up this morning' He thought before the elevator reached the walkway that led to Durandal's office.

He let Cagalli walk ahead of them, once again avoiding any eye contact. Flay walked beside Cagalli, looking over her shoulder and smiling at Vincent. He looked to his left, paying little attention to both young women. Placing a hand on Cagalli's shoulder, Flay bought her mouth to Cagalli's ear.

"Cagalli please stop being snippy with Vincent okay, I know you and Kira dont approve of what he did a year ago but neither of you were in a position to see what was going on and what it was doing to him" Flay explained.

"What he did was unforgivable, Gekido would be ashamed of him" Cagalli said.

Vincent's ear twitched, for Cagalli made no effort to hide those words. His hand shook before he remembered Gekido's advice for coping with Cagalli.

_All right Vincent, I love Cagalli she's a great girl and a balsy fighter but as a politician she's a little too self-righteous and coming from me that's saying something. She'll go on about Orb neutrality or fighting to protect yadda dada doo but one thing that'll put her in her place is straight up bluntness, in other words you tell the bitches how it is and don't let her intimidate you!_

Vincent was really starting to wish Gekido gave him better advice. The door to Durandal's office opened and the young former soldier's came face to face with the new chairman of the Plants. A friendly smile crossed Durandal's face; he was a pale man with long black hair and neat clothing that suited his position.

"Ah Princess Athna, it's good to see you" Durandal said, walking over to Cagalli.

Several ambassadors and soldiers, the standard security for these types of meetings flanked him. Cagalli entered the room, shaking Durandal's hand while Athrun gave a respectful nod. Durandal returned the nod; he didn't acknowledge Athrun as a simple bodyguard.

'He couldn't know could he?' Vincent wondered.

"Chairwoman Alster, Commander Rach, it is a pleasure to finally meet you both" Durandal said, offering Flay a hand to shake.

She shook the hand without hesitation, looking at him with great respect in her eyes. Flay's opinion of coordinators had changed immensely from her relationship with Kira and her encounters with Gekido and Kyusai. When it came for Vincent to shake the man's hand he made sure he gave it a firm grip and a neutral look.

"Chairman Durandal, thank you for contacting us prior to these negotiations" Vincent said.

_That's right Vince, when your with politicians appear as disinterested as possible, be as quiet as possible as you listen to them talk and then when the moments right. Completely own them with words of your own._

"It's good to finally meet you Commander Rach, you've done well for someone your age… in fact everyone of you has done well, come sit and let us begin" Durandal said, walking over to the chairs past his desk.

Flay and Cagalli took their seats while Vincent stood at ease. Branden leant lazily against the wall while Kojiro stood at attention.

"Your a true credit to your generation, at your ages you have already achieved more than most men my age have, Princess, I hope the Plants can assist Orb in anyway possible within reason of course and Chairwoman, I trust you will find that ZAFT's armoury of mobile weapons is in keeping with the treaty" Durandal explained.

"Yes, one of my soldiers will be analysing the weaponry personally…not you Branden" Flay said, causing the light in Branden's eyes to disappear.

Durandal laughed as Branden rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"I understand that Orb and the Plants have been led into quite a complicated situation, which I hope we can resolve fairly" Flay continued, it was a speech she had practiced many times.

"I don't really see it as a complicated issue Flay…I mean Chairwoman Alster, and forgive me for saying this but Commander Rach's presence is not necessary here, I'm not intimidated by thugs" Cagalli said coldly.

Durandal looked to Vincent, hiding a smirk as the young man kept on his neutral expression.

"The fact of the matter is that you've been using Orb technology to improve your own militia"

"The Orb refugees are simply making a living princess" Durandal said casually.

"By making weapons for war"

_When the moment is right, own a politician with your own logic._

"ZAFT is merely doing what the Earth Alliance is doing, improving its military technology in a way that doesn't break the treaty…Princess Athna…" Vincent began

_That's right Vince add a bit of salt to a wound!_

"Your logic is under the assumption that Orb refugees are being held against their will, they are as Durandal said simply making a living…to demand the Orb refugees back when they have been accepted as Plant's citizens would be the equivalent of mass civilian abduction, something Sensou takes seriously…. ZAFT will keep its technology, and we will analyse their weaponry but as of this moment the subject of the Orb refugees is closed…if you excuse me representatives I have business to attend to" Vincent explained, before walking away.

Branden chuckled at Cagalli's shocked expression while Flay looked at Vincent's back in concern. Once he was outside, Vincent squeezed his hands into fists and took a deep breath.

_Don't be surprised if everything Cagalli says pisses you off somehow!_

"I see you have no taste for politics either"

Vincent looked up and stood to attention. A white coat ZAFT commander stood before him. He had black eyes and a baldhead; he also looked to be in his mid twenties as most commanders were.

"Vincent Rach, good to finally meet you, Joe Daigoji" The Commander introduced himself.

"Commander, nice to meet you" Vincent said, casually shaking the man's hand.

"The friend and student of Gekido Jaeger, I've got to say the rumours I've heard make you out to be some kind of monster…I wasn't there a year ago so I don't really have the right to judge you…yet" Joe explained.

"Least your not getting in my face about it" Vincent sighed, looking over his shoulder.

"Durandal isn't likely to say anything about it, let me the guess the Orb representative"

"Yeah…can't exactly blame her for hating me, the Earth Alliance did attack Orb, and the Athha's never did believe in dirty ops"

"Walk with me, I've got to check the outside anyway" Joe said, floating along the corridor.

"Are you in charge of security?" Vincent asked.

"Noah and I are in charge of military forces, I'm not sure who was put in charge of customs but I've heard that the day's gone by without incident, except for the usual idiots trying to sneak in drugs from Earth, but nothing to get us on high alert" Joe explained.

When the two Commanders reached the hanger Vincent took note of some of the mobile suits. He had heard that they were known as Zakus, the majority of them were green with shields on their shoulder; the Zaku Phantom models had single horns and shields on both their shoulders. It was then that Vincent looked up at what he assumed was either a prototype or a suit exclusively for aces. The suit resembles the Zakus, having a horn and a monoeye design, but it only had one shield on it's left shoulder, it also had rounder arms and thicker legs as well as a backpack with a solid Katana and a katana handle on it.

"The ZGMF-4000 Kampfer, originally it had a blue armour design, but I had the technicians paint it black, sticks out less in space that way" Joe explained.

"Impressive, ZAFT is producing some very good machines" Vincent said.

"I'll admit I miss the simple ness of the GINN's, but you utilise what you can and the fact is my skills have improved more with this Kampfer than it did with the GINN or CGUEs"

"I assume other machines were built"

"Yes, a new battleship has been produced as well, though I know little about it another mobile suit I am to pilot has been moved onto there, please allow me to show you more of our mobile suits, I trust you'll find them to be within the treaty's limits"

* * *

Noah was thoroughly bored; ever since the end of the Bloody Valentine war he had been bored. With Thanos hunting pirates in Mars and Sensou dispatching terrorist cells on Earth there had been very little for his unit to test their skills on. Not having live targets to battle meant they couldn't adapt to the new ZAFT mobile suits. Then again very few of the Bagal team pilots actually felt like switching units.

"Our new machines may be coming in but there's no way I'm giving you up old friend" A brown haired man said, patting his heavily scarred CGUE.

Shadi Barbark was a brown-eyed thirty-year-old man with brown hair tied into a ponytail. He was originally from Africa but came to the Plants to join the military. Even before ZAFT he had fought in many conflicts and had scars underneath his white coat to prove it. Next to him were the "twins", though identical Sochiro and Ruther Halion could immediately told apart. Sochiro had blue eyes and blue tints in his short and neat black hair, his brother had red eyes and red tints in his hair, which in contrast to his brother was messy. Their GINN's were also a reflection of their fighting styles and personalities. Ruther's was primarily a crimson and black colour with numerous short-range guns and swords waiting to be equipped. Sochiro's was a blue and navy colour, with long-range weaponry fitting his role as a sniper.

"Sometimes I'll never understand that Shadi, he's so attached to that CGUE of his and refuses to trade it for a stronger model" Linda said, looking at her Blaze Zaku Phantom.

The Blaze pack was the standard wizard pack of the Zakus; it was mainly a speed boost pack with multiple missile launchers. Linda also had her Zaku painted white, with yellow crosses on the shields and as well as the standard frag grenades she had several special types of grenades like incendiary and flash grenades.

"Gotta take pride in your suit Linda, anyway how's your nephew doing, bet the tykes gotten big" Noah said.

"He's fine thank you for asking, but I don't want you or any one on this ship meeting and giving him bad habits" Linda said.

Noah laughed, despite Linda being completely serious. On the other side of the colony, Kuzzey sat in the Pegasus's bridge, reading over some reports on the conditions of the mobile suits. They were all in combat condition, but Kuzzey hoped they wouldn't be needed. While the crew of the Pegasus and the other two Salamis Kai class ships relaxed, far away from the colony, inside a small mobile suit, an even smaller girl slowed her heartbeat as she looked down the sight.

"Target locked, ready to launch attack on Captain Roanoke's order, Stark, Lucifer are you in position?" The girl asked.

"We were in position several minutes ago, we're now waiting for Archer and the three other flawed ones" A stern voice said over the radio.

"Easy Stark, Darcel is just waiting to make an entrance and the leader of the inside squad loves his theatrics" A masked man said, sitting casually on his seat in the safety of a hidden ship.

He wore a dark uniform with a red and grey helmet obscuring his eyes and nose. The man smiled as he awaited the signal for Phantom pain.

* * *

Inside the Armoury, Durandal had been halfway done with his tour of the facility. Branden and Kojiro looked in surprise at some of the ZAFT mobile suits old and new that they saw. Cagalli regarded them with disdain while Flay kept on a friendly smile.

"Hey Kojiro, Cagalli always this chatty?" Branden asked.

"You have no idea" Kojiro whispered.

With a Zaku watching over them, Branden sighed as Cagalli turned to face Durandal.

"But still too much strength will only invite another war" She said, in response to Durandal's opinion of claiming strength.

"No princess, power is a necessity because there will always be war" Durandal said.

Flay bit her lip as she looked between Durandal and Cagalli. Durandal maintained his calm expression while Cagalli narrowed her eyes.

'I think your bluntness has just made her angrier Vincent' Flay thought.

The argument was shattered by the sound of an alarm, followed by explosions.

* * *

The jeep had taken them to the destination outlined in their mission. They easily got through security and were just inches away from their targets. Sting Oakley and Auel Neider gladly took the guns that the green coats had snuck in with them. Stella Loussier looked at her knife curiously before a cold expression crossed her eyes. Yuridate however merely smirked as he attached the silencer to his pistol. He turned to the two green coats that his employers had bribed.

"My employers greatly appreciate your help…I don't however, you fucking cowards" Jone said, the smile never leaving his face.

"Excuse me!" One of the soldiers said.

"You both accepted money because you could not carry out the greatest duty of a soldier, moving on from war, you have failed and thus you have been deemed weak and worthless in my eyes…still my employers will pay you handsomely for what you've done" Joneexplained, offering a hand for the first soldier to shake.

With a huff, the ZAFT traitor moved his hand to shake Howard's. Suddenly, a blade slid out of Jone's sleeve. He then proceeded to slice the man's head down the middle. Before the second traitor could scream, Jone slashed him across the throat.

"Your friend was lucky, but you unfortunately don't get the release of a quick death, looks like you wont get to spend the money you've been given…boys, girl, its time for us to go to work" Jone said, cocking his pistol.

Auel and Sting looked at the man in shock for a moment before they followed his lead. Jone threw a grenade into the midst of the mechanics and soldiers guarding the packages. Sting and Auel fired their submachine guns, jumping in between soldiers and shooting even the unarmed mechanics. Stellar moved swiftly through the targets, slashing a soldier across the throat. When most of the men were dead or wounded the three young children stopped and looked to where they had come through.

"What the hell are you doing back there?" Auel asked.

Jone grinned, for he had been leaning against the wall, casually waiting for the three younger spies to finish.

"I didn't want to get my suit dirty, sure the inside of the wrist is bloody but its outside appearances that count you know" Howard said, stepping over a dead body.

He shot a bleeding ZAFT pilot in the head and looked up at the targets. With a smile he nodded his head to the other three. They climbed up the ladders and into their machines. Quickly going through the launch sequences, the four extended pilots activated the four mobile suits. As they began to rise from the trucks they had been put on, a surviving mechanic pressed the alarm. Each machine activated its phase shift armour. The Chaos, a green Gundam armed with beam rifle and missile launchers. The Abyss, a close range mobile suit built for land and underwater combats. The Gaia, a slim red and black Gundam for all round combat, with the addition of a wolf like quadruped form.

"Excellent, this feels better than previous version's one" Jone said, smiling as his Gundam's paled phase shift armour activated.

The Gundam had no immediate weapons present on its body. It had smooth wings and elegant waist and shoulder armour. The face had no "mouth" and the V-fin was smaller than the other suits. While the other Gundam's fired their weapons, the fourth one kept still as its armour activation process entered its final stage. The crystal on its chest gave off a deep green light, its phase shift armour consisted of pale blue and white colours across its entire body, the helmet and wrists were blue and the eyes gave off a pale green light.

"Gundam Mercy, ready to fight, lets go cause some havoc" Jone grinned.

The Three Gundam's began their attack on Armoury One, shooting mobile suits before the pilots could even react. Sting launched a volley of missiles, bombing the jeeps and mobile suits. Stellar switched to the Gaia's four-legged mode, firing its main cannons at a group of GINN's. Some pilots managed to get to their mobile suits, but the Guaiz R's and GINN's were no match for the much more advanced mobile suits. Auel laughed as he plunged his spear into a Guaiz R's chest. He then swung around, firing the Abyss's beam weapons, hitting multiple mobile suits and artillery trucks.

"Gundams!" Cagalli said.

"GET THE CHAIRMAN AWAY NOW!" One of the ZAFT soldiers yelled.

"Come on Cagalli" Alex said, taking a hold of Cagalli's arm.

"Branden, protect the chairwoman" Kojiro said.

Cagalli and Alex ran away from the group, hiding behind cover as the flames of an explosion rushed over them. Branden, Kojiro and Flay ran as fast as they could for cover, watching as the Chaos slashed a Guaiz in two. Looking at an intact and deserted hanger, Branden and Kojiro both nodded to one another. Cagalli and Alex ran down an open field of rubble and junked mobile suits. The shockwave of an explosion threw them to the ground.

"That's it, we're getting out of here, I'm not letting you die in a place like this" Alex said, taking hold of Cagalli and walking towards a floored but intact Zaku.

A group of Guaiz Rs fired their rail guns at the Gaia. But the wolf like mobile suit easily dodged the blasts, slicing two of the Guaiz's in half with the beams on its wings. On the other side of the armoury, the prototype battleship of ZAFT began its preparations to launch its main machine.

* * *

"The inside team has succeeded, all units launch the attack" Neo Roanoke said.

Several eyes flashed in space and a beam was suddenly fired at one of the Sensou Salamis ships. Kuzzey widened his eyes as he watched the beam cut through the middle of the single ship.

"ALL UNITS PREPARE TO LAUNCH!" He yelled.

A volley of missiles suddenly slammed into the Pegasus, hitting its cannons and thrusters. An explosion was set off in the hanger, killing at least two servicemen. The captain of the second Salamis Kai class shouted out orders, watching as a single mobile suit flew towards the Pegasus. It had a square block on it's waist, connected to a small arm, meaning it could revolve around at different angles. The head design caused the Sensou staff to widen their eyes.

"A Gundam!" One of the pilots said.

"Gundam Bombard, Pilot Stark, commencing attack" The Early twenties pilot said.

He wore a brown and blue Earth Alliance flight suit, which matched the colours of the Bombards phase shift armour, the chest and helmet were brown while the face was white and the V-fin and other parts of the armour were blue. The machine raised its black-fingered hands, grabbing two pistols on its thick waist armour. Stark remained emotionless as he pulled the triggers, sending bullets sailing into the front of the Pegasus. A few seconds passed before the rounds exploded, rocking the entire ship.

"ALL UNITS LAUNCH NOW!" Kuzzey yelled.

"GM launching!" A Sensou pilot said.

Several of the regular GM's began to launch from the Pegasus, followed by two Gun Cannons. A GM Cannon and two Gun cannons launched from the remaining Salamis along with the limited production Neo Raptors. The three Neo Raptors switched to their jet modes, flying straight towards the Bombard. Stark slid the two pistols into two of the multiple holsters on the Gundam's waist armour. He then pulled them out and began firing a volley of emerald bubbles at the Neo Raptors.

"He changed the firing mode from explosive to beam fire" One of the Raptor pilots said.

"Target that mobile suit" One of the commanders said.

"Load missile tubes, I want a team following the trail from that sniper shot" Kuzzey said.

"I'm sorry sir but we lost track of it" A radar operator said.

"Pathetic" Stark laughed.

He swung around, firing multiple beams into a Gun cannon's chest. The unit exploded, separating the grouped together mobile suits. Stark used the distraction to fly underneath the Salamis Kai class ship. The block on the Bombard's back revolved and opened, revealing several missile launchers. With a pull of the trigger, Stark launched a storm of missiles at the Salamis Class ship.

"Evasive manoeuvres, all mobile suits keep that G-Weapon off of us" The Captain said, holding onto his seat as the ship shook.

One the other side of the colony, Noah ordered his men to move as several black Dagger L's attacked the cargo ships going in and out of the colony. One of the Dagger L's fired its bazooka, sending a missile sailing right into the bridge of a ZAFT ship. The ships around the Hades began launching Zakus, but another beam shot out from space, blowing up one of the ships in one shot.

"Someone track that sniper!" Noah said, climbing into his machine.

"Commander Bagal, we have multiple heat sources approaching from above…they're Zakus sir" Alan said.

"Zakus, no way" Noah whispered.

A Dagger L plunged its beam sabre into a Zaku's chest, but was promptly shot apart by two other Zakus. The two green machines looked to their right and widened their eyes. Standing just inches from one of the Nasca class ships was a single Gundam. It had black and red armour, with grey biceps and red glowing eyes. Numerous heavy weaponry was grafted onto it's body, which included a black Aile pack, but much bigger than the old Strike's. Inside Armoury One, Zack and Anna got sick feelings in their stomachs. On the other side of the armour, a blonde haired red pilot widened his eyes at the pressure he felt.

"It couldn't be…is that the Massacre?" One of the Zaku pilots asked.

The pilot inside the machine chuckled as he targeted the mobile suits. He then laughed out loud before the Gundam's chest opened, revealing two Gatling guns. With its two twin barrelled Gatling guns and the guns in it's chest, the "Slaughter" ripped the Zakus in front of it to shreds. Then packs on its legs and shoulder opened to reveal missiles that flew into the Hades and the other Nazca class ships. The Slaughter's eyes glowed an intense red colour, reflecting a sinister appearance amplified by the horn shaped V-fins.

"That's right, scream and cry for me! HAA HA HA HA!" the pilot laughed maniacally.

"DAMN IT! I'm going outside, I'll get a better look at our opponents" Noah said, launching in his custom Guaiz, the Arche Gargoyle.

He drew his beam sword, looking at the group of mobile suits waiting on the edge of the battle. They were all Zaku's, but had much bulkier forms and black armour instead of the standard green. There were about ten in the group, and at least four wore helmets. Noah narrowed his eyes as the bulky machines cleared way for their leader.

"No way" Noah whispered.

The Gundam standing before him had no special decorations or symbols. It was a simple black Gundam, with glowing blue eyes, a cannon on its right shoulder, a shield on its left. The V fin also had a Zaku style horn on it. Alan looked at the machine from the Hades main screen and he immediately knew who was piloting it.

"Dagger Thanos, the Black Storm!" Noah growled.

"Noah Bagal, stand down, there are issues behind this attack you can not even begin to comprehend…ZAFT has some secrets in its closest" Dagger said.

Dagger Thanos, red haired commander and the first man in ZAFT to openly recruit Natural soldiers. He and every other pilot wore simple black flight suits, designed after the original ZAFT flight suits. The other members of Noah's team launched from the Hades and flew straight towards the Slaughter.

* * *

Inside the Armoury, Vincent and Joe climbed into their machines and flew outside into the battle. Joe widened his eyes as he watched a Gundam stab a Zaku in the back. The Gundam had two wings, black wings styled after a fallen angel. Its armour was black and blue, its eyes had no light and its V-fin was a dull and small shape.

"Lucifer, Fallen Gundam, attacking targets" The pilot said, swinging his red beam sabre at the two mobile suits.

Joe drew his beam katana, blocking the Fallen's sabre. He widened his eyes as the Fallen flapped its wings, pushing the Kampfer against the side of the colony.

"Damn it, whoever's in there trains as hard as I do" Joe said.

"Joe!" Vincent called.

Vincent stopped in his tracks as a beam flew by his head. He turned around, blocking another beam. Six Dagger L's flew at the Jegan, firing their beam rifles. The Jegan returned fire, hitting one Dagger in the chest. One of the Dagger's drew its beam sabre and swung it against the Jegan's shield. Vincent grinded his teeth together as he pushed the Dagger away and fired a beam into it's chest. The other Four machines surrounded the Jegan. Suddenly, several emerald beams flew into the Dagger's. A Neo Raptor and two GM's flew to the Jegan's side and watched as the Fallen knocked the Kampfer back.

"We have a team tracking the sniper, they came out of nowhere" The Neo raptor pilot said.

Two GM's flew through space, looking for the sniper.

"You found me, it doesn't matter, your still in my crosshairs" A small girl said.

The two GM pilots widened their eyes as they looked at the green and brown machine aiming its rifle at them. But their reaction was too late as the sniper fired her massive sniper cannon, consuming the two GM's. The beam got smaller but faster as it flew through space towards the Jegan.

"COMMANDER WATCH OUT!" The Raptor pilot yelled, slamming into the back of the Jegan.

Vincent widened his eyes as the Raptor blew up behind him. He yelled as he threw his rifle aside and drew his beam sabre.

"Moving into battle zone in order to conserve energy" The Small girl said, folding her rifle back and drawing two handguns.

"Head towards the Salamis Kai Class ship Lyna Crosswind and assist Stark" Neo Roanoke said.

More Dagger L's began to fly towards the Kampfer and Jegan. Inside their cockpits, Vincent and Joe braced themselves for combat.

* * *

Athrun, or Alex as he went by nowadays had managed to get the Zaku working. He accounted for the operating systems being similar to the GINN, he accounted for the grenades and beam axe. What he didn't account for however was getting caught up in a fight with the three Gundams. Though they were skilled Athrun could tell that they weren't veterans as he shoulder barged the Chaos. He then threw the beam axe into the Gaia's shield, knocking it backwards.

"Damn it, this guys better than I thought he'd be" Auel said.

Auel widened his eyes as the Mercy Gundam walked past the Abyss and straight towards the Zaku. Athrun turned the Zaku to his next opponent, keeping the beam axe ready. At first it appeared as if the Gundam had no weapons, but Athrun kept his guard up as two tail like objects trailed out of the Mercy's wrists. When Athrun got a closer look at them he realised that the wires were bladed.

"Heat rods!" Athrun said.

Suddenly the Mercy swungits heat rods around, slicing off the Zaku's hand. Green energy trailed off the heat rods as the Mercy sliced off the Zaku's left leg. Athrun widened his eyes, watching as an electric wire popped out of the Mercy's wrist. He bought his shield up, only for the Mercy to whip the Zaku's head with the wire. Athrun and Cagalli screamed as the electricity ran through the cockpit as the Zaku fell to the ground.

"Cagalli!" Athrun whispered, looking at the blood running down Cagalli's head.

The Mercy then swung around, slicing a missile apart. Jonegrinned, looking at the Zaku warrior and Phantom standing before him. Kojiro was in the Phantom armed with two beam axes while Flay and Branden were in the Zaku armed with the bazooka and beam rifle. Howard ignored the two new arrivals and moved towards the Zaku. Branden and Kojiro prepared to move, but looked above as a white jet flew over them.

* * *

Zack and his entourage climbed into their machines. But Zack stopped as he felt a pressure. In space, the GM's clashing with the Daggers stopped, watching an orange and grey jet fly past them. Inside the Armoury, the white jet folded, docking with the legs and body of a Gundam. Vincent, Joe and Kuzzey stopped their fights and watched as the orange and grey jet began to transform. It's thruster's folded, forming a pair of legs. Two hands popped out of it's front, which folded out into a pair of arms, grabbing the beak shaped nose cone as a shield. The shield was orange like the majority of the body but also had skull and crossbones in the middle of it.

"Gundam!" Zack and Athrun said, watching the machines they saw finishing their transformations.

The backpack slammed into the body and the Gundam's phase shift armour activated. It's dull grey colour changed into a white and red shine. The new Gundam drew the two anti ship swords on its back and landed in front of the fallen Zaku. Zack widened his eyes, watching as the orange Gundam popped its head out, its right eye flashing red. Both Gundam pilots had vastly different reactions to the attacks, one was anger, the other was anticipation. The Impulse Gundam linked its sword together, swinging it around and holding it ready for an attack.

"What are you doing here? Are you trying to start another one? Another war!" The Red suit pilot said, anger in his red eyes.

"Another war huh…the wait is over it seems" Silver Mask said, his right eye flashing before he drew the handle of a beam sabre, the handle had a guard like a cutlass and ignited a long flaming green beam blade. "BRING IT ON!"

Next Chapter 2: Gundams

Branden: right Kojiro let's get into the fight

Kojiro: Yes I believe its time for us to kick the enemy in the ass

Branden: could you try to sound more eager, c'mon we finally get to debut in our machines next chapter!

* * *

The Dusk Aero Gundam is here and the battle gets more intense as Branden and Kojiro reach their own machines. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, the pilots of Noah's squad confront Darcel while the Impulse and Shinn Asuka begin their first intense fight!


	3. Gundams

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam Seed Destiny

I'm back with another update and the introduction of some of the main Gundams

The Jegan with the Burning Heart Components added on would resemble the Jegan Kai, seen on in the Under Gundam: Double Fake manga section

Nia and Lain Holland are the property of the author Name Under Construction

Enjoy the chapter

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 2: Gundams

They were the machines that struck both hope and terror through the battlefield. Not only were the machines themselves a step above the average mobile suit, but the pilots as well were to be remembered. Shinn Asuka, pilot of the Impulse looked at his opponents, who each looked back in confusion. Athrun looked in awe while the Sensou pilots narrowed their eyes.

"Hey Sasaki what do you think, Strike rip off or not?" Branden asked.

"It is too early to tell whether ZAFT intended on copying the Strike, outwardly it would seem to be a superior machine!" Kojiro said.

"That's a matter of opinion, but superior machine or not he's out numbered, let's give him a hand" Branden smirked.

Shinn was the first to strike, flying forward and swinging his doubled edged sword at the Gaia. Stellar ducked underneath the blow, and flew backwards Shinn dragged the other end of the blade across the floor. He span around, throwing rubble off the floor and knocking Auel backwards. Kojiro and Branden flew forward, adjusting well to their temporary machines. Branden fired his beam rifle, hitting Stellar's shield while Kojiro slammed his axes against Sting's sabre.

"Cocky little grunt!" Sting said.

Kojiro remained calm, never muttering a word back as he swung his right axe upwards. He hit Sting's sabre, knocking it up slightly. Then he ducked and span the Zaku's left arm round, delivering a strike that knocked the Chaos backwards. Sting widened his eyes before Kojiro threw his axe into his shield, knocking him out of the sky and towards the ground. The Chaos recovered, landing on its feet and then jumping upwards.

'Fight smart, utilise the Chaos's speciality!' Sting thought, quickly adapting to the situation.

He put away his sabre and began firing his beam rifle, causing Kojiro to block with his shields. Branden fired his beam rifle and bazooka, hitting Stellar's shield and sending the Abyss stumbling across the field, it's shoulders smoking from bazooka blasts.

"God damn it why is this grunt giving me a hard time!" Auel said.

"Because you were enjoying yourself too much" Jone smirked.

The Mercy landed behind the Zaku, lashing at it with its heat rod. Branden swung around, grunting as the rod cut into his bazooka. He threw the bazooka at the Mercy and then threw a volley of grenades. The explosion obscured Jone's vision, but the Extended thrust his whip forward, striking the Zaku's shield less shoulder. Flay took a deep breath while Branden narrowed his eyes, remaining calm but excited in the midst of this battle. Shinn was all about aggression as he slammed his sword repeatedly against Stellar's shield. The girl drew her own beam sabre as the Abyss approached to aid her. Auel smiled as he lunged his spear at the impulse. But Shinn ducked and swung his sword into the Abyss's staff, knocking Auel backwards. He then separated his blades and flew straight towards the knocked back Abyss.

"TAKE THIS!" Shinn yelled.

* * *

While battle was taking place amongst the ruins of the ravaged Armoury, an intense battle was taking place in space. The Sensou and ZAFT ships had been crippled by the surprise attack of the Extended. While Noah's men engaged the Slaughter, he faced Dagger Thanos and his men. Dagger's Black Gundam floated in front of Noah's Arche Gargoyle. Both Commanders were smart and experienced enough to keep their fingers on their triggers, never trusting their opponents.

"Commander Thanos" Noah began.

"Actually it's admiral Thanos" Dagger corrected.

"Your own fleet, your own men…you could have made it big as a mercenary, but I see that you're a man of ambition" Noah said.

"Ambition is the spark of war, politicians will agree with waging a war because in the end it will lead them to something they want"

"But your not a politician, you're a soldier of ZAFT!" Noah growled.

"Was, but like the era ZAFT itself has changed, after Genesis was destroyed and the temporary coalition against Zala and Uragiri was disbanded it signalled the end of an era, Sensou bought about that era…as you see today the Earth Alliance leaders are seeking to bring about their new eras and at the same time Durandal seeks his own era as well…a world led by his plan" Thanos explained.

"Plan…wouldn't that be plans?" Noah asked.

"You'll see it for yourself soon enough Noah, watch out for your men" Thanos said, suppressing a smirk.

Noah widened his eyes and turned around, the Slaughter pilot was laughing as he fired his Gatling guns at Noah's team. Shadi swung his sword at the Slaughter, but Darcel batted him aside. He laughed as he aimed his guns at Shadi. But Linda flew in between them, firing her beam rifle.

"Shadi be careful, your CGUE's no match for a G-Weapon" Linda said.

"Idiots, the Slaughter is the heaviest and most powerful Gundam in the world…NO GRUNT MOBILE SUIT CAN BEAT IT!" Darcel yelled.

He unleashed a volley of missiles, striking Linda's shield repeatedly and destroying Shadi's left thrusters. But Shadi swung around, firing several shots from his recoilless rifle into the Slaughter's chest. The Slaughter raised its head, light shining on its V-fin. Suddenly a red and blue beam flew from the V fin, taking off the CGUE's left arm. Sparks ignited inside Shadi's cockpit as Linda hovered in front of his machine. She fired a volley of missiles, forcing the Slaughter to go on the evasive. Ruther drew his heavy sword while Sochiro targeted the Slaughter with his sniper rifle. He fired a shot that flew over Ruther's head and slammed against the Slaughter's Gatling gun.

"Watch it Sochiro!" Ruther growled.

"Shut up Ruther!" Sochiro said.

Ruther slammed his sword against the Slaughter's Gatling gun, and then flew upwards as Darcel fired the guns in his machine's chest. The nimble GINN flew around the Gundam, drawing a beam sword and diving towards its back. Darcel clipped his Gatling guns to his hips and then ignited two red beam sabres. Ruther widened his eyes, coming to a stop just in time to block Darcel's sword swipe. Noah turned his mobile suit round and began flying towards the battle, ignoring the Zaku Kai's and the Black Gundam behind him. He drew his beam sword, ignited the beams around the blade and lifting it onto his shoulder.

"Alan, watch the Black Storm group, if they appear to be unfriendly then fire upon them" Noah said.

"Yes sir…what are you up to Thanos?" Alan wondered.

Thanos looked past the battles between the Slaughter and Bagal's team, focusing on the other units. These New Extended were slaughtering Sensou. The Gundam Bombard shot two GM's in the chest while the Buster Archer fired its beam pistols. A GM ignited its beam sabre and swung it at the Bombard, but the Gundam flew to the side, sliding its pistols into its hips and then firing a round into the GM's chest. The GM twitched for a moment before the round exploded.

"The flawed had better be quick, Crosswind, finish the Salamis Kai Class off…you cant miss at this range!" Stark said.

"Yes sir!" Lyna said as she drew the sniper rifle from behind her right arm.

A scope on the Buster Archer's backpack folded over the machines shoulder and covered the mobile suit's eyes. Inside the cockpit, Lyna was given a clear view of the Salamis Kai Class ship's bridge. She coldly fired a beam into the bridge, causing a chain reaction of explosions through the ship. But much to her annoyance the ship hadn't been blown apart. Obviously it was sturdier than the average ship.

"EVERYONE GET TO THE ESCAPE PODS NOW!" A technician yelled.

Pilots and soldiers in the Salamis Kai began running to mobile suits and escape pods. Inside the Pegasus, Kuzzey slid his space suits visor over his face.

"Have the Murasama, Kenshin and Burning Heart pack prepared for launch, fire all weapons, force the Gundams back" Kuzzey said.

The Pegasus bought up its main beam cannon, firing as the missile tubes emptied their missile capsules. These capsules then shattered, revealing tiny warheads that flew towards Bombard. Stark smirked, firing his own missiles to intercept the warheads. Then he flew upwards, dodging the main guns beam and shooting down the rest of the missiles with rapid-fire bullets from his pistol. Vincent and Joe looked in astonishment at the Orange machine flying in front of them. Silver Mask relaxed his grip on his controls as several Dagger L's surrounded him.

"Kill him!" Lucifer said casually.

The Dusk Aero Gundam's right eye flashed before it suddenly swung around, cutting the three Daggers in half. Silver Mask then smirked as he flew straight towards the Fallen. Lucifer drew another beam sabre, crossing his blades together to block Silver Mask's sword. Then the Dusk span around and swung his sabre into the Fallen, hitting the sabres so hard that the Fallen was thrown against the side of the colony. Silver Mask then ignited his shoulder rockets, kicking the Fallen against the side of the head. He stepped off of the Fallen's chest and flew towards the Bombard and Buster Archer.

"He Ha Ha, let's see what the new bloods got!" Silver Mask chuckled.

Stark turned his mobile suit round, watching the Dusk slice two Dagger L's in half. He slid his pistols into his waist armour and then removed them, igniting the pistols beam bayonets. The Bombard swung its blades at the Dusk, but much to Stark's astonishment the Dusk flew past him.

"CROSSWIND TURN OFF YOUR SCOPE NOW!" Stark yelled.

Lyna widened her eyes, turning her rifle towards the Dusk. She pulled the trigger, but the Dusk was already in front of her. With one swing of his sword, Silver Mask split the rifle in two. Drawing her beam pistols, Lyna fired several shots into the Dusk's shield. But when she saw that these had no affect she began firing rapid-fire bullets. Lucifer turned to Joe's Kampfer just as it swung its katana down. The two mobile suits slammed their blades together, sending sparks flying through space. Vincent stood to the side, watching as the two machines slammed their blades together.

'Everything's getting messy' Vincent thought. "Kuzzey, how are our ships holding up?" He asked.

"The Cape town's almost been evacuated, our scanners are on the frits too, they seem to think that there's a battleship nearby, wait three machines just exited the colony, they're Neo Raptors sir" Kuzzey explained.

"Ravens nest" Vincent said.

"More new arrivals, all of you stay here and be prepared to defend yourselves if they attack…its time for me to see how Vincent Rach fights!" Dagger said as he slowly drew a crimson beam sabre.

* * *

Inside the Armoury, the Four Gundams continued to fight the Sensou pilots and the Impulse. Athrun watched as the Gaia and the Impulse locked blades, releasing sparks across the ground. Shinn drew a beam boomerang and threw it at the Abyss, knocking it back slightly. Branden fired his beam rifle at the Mercy, which flew across the air, out of his rifle's range. He grinded his teeth together, before throwing his rifle aside and drawing the Zaku's beam axe. Kojiro hovered across the field, dodging volleys of missiles fired by the Chaos. The Gundam had shifted into a mobile armour form and launched two pods that chased after the Zaku Phantom.

"Damn it how did these guys get in here?" Shinn asked, firing his beam rifle at the Gaia.

Durandal and his bodyguards walked across a bridge towards the ship known as the Minerva. Talia Gladys sat in her seat, the captain's chair overlooking the rest of the bridge. In the hanger, mechanics were working to prepare the collection of Guaiz R's that had already reached the ship. Talia's second in command Arthur Trine sat beside her, giving out orders for the crew to prepare for launch. A red haired girl wearing a regular green ZAFT uniform and hat worked at the communications console, establishing a communications link between the Impulse and the Minerva.

"Shinn, those are our own units, do what you can to prevent them from getting out of the colony and joining with the enemy forces outside" Arthur explained.

"There are enemies outside…how the hell did they get through?" Shinn asked, blocking a sabre swipe from the Gaia.

"We don't have time to debate, recapture the four stolen machines" Talia said.

"Recapture, without destroying them…that's impossible"

"Gotta agree with the rookie there captain, recapturing them is the stupidest idea I've ever heard" Branden said, cutting into the communication link.

"Chairwoman Flay Alster!" Talia said in shock.

"Captain, please grant us a favour and allow us to dock with your ship, the chief representative of Orb is also with us in a damaged Zaku" Flay explained.

Kojiro threw his axes at the Mercy, forcing it to fly higher into the air. He then landed beside Branden, gripping two grenades as the Chaos approached. Shinn fired his rifle at the Chaos, forcing it to transform into mobile suit mode and block with its shield. Kojiro and Branden then threw their grenades at the Chaos, throwing it back with the combined explosions.

"C'mon Kojiro lets get out of these machines" Branden said.

"We must first dock with a ZAFT ship for shelter" Kojiro said.

The Mercy extended its heat rods at the Zaku's, slicing off their left arms. Branden widened his eyes while Kojiro remained calm. They both flew backwards while Jone dragged his whips across the ground.

"Auel, Stella its time to go" Sting said.

"But I was thinking of taking back a souvenir for Neo" Auel chuckled, firing his beam cannons at the Impulse.

Shinn flew to the side, landing beside the Gaia. Stella yelled as she slammed her sabre against the Impulse's shield. Shinn landed on the ground, taking sharp breaths as he worked to get the Impulse back up. But the Abyss was quickly approaching, with its spear ready. Suddenly Athrun flew his Zaku off the ground, slamming his shield against the side of the Abyss. The Impulse then got off the floor just as the Gaia flew towards it.

"Stella come on its time to go" Jone said.

"Stella" Sting called out.

"I can take him I CAN TAKE HIM!" Stella yelled.

The Impulse and the Gaia slammed their sabres together, pushing one another back. Beams suddenly flew from the other side of the colony; three Zaku's flew towards the Gundams, firing their beam rifles. One was a Zaku Phantom with white armour, piloted by a blonde haired boy wearing a red ZAFT uniform. In the other Zaku's were two girls both with ZAFT uniforms, but the red/pink haired girl wore a custom pink skirt on hers while the long blonde haired girl wore a regular uniform without any modifications. The two girls piloted a bright Red and blue Zaku respectively.

"Lunamaria, Nia cover me as I aid the Impulse" The White Zaku pilot said.

"Sure thing Rey!" Lunamaria Hawke, pilot of the red Zaku said.

"Got it" Nia Holland said.

The White Zaku Phantom flew ahead, firing its beam rifle at the Chaos. Sting fired a volley of missiles, which Rey easily intercepted with his rifle. Luna and Nia began firing their beam rifles as well, hitting the Gaia's shield and forcing the Mercy to manoeuvre around the blasts. Jone targeted the two machines and extended his heat rods towards them. Lunamaria screamed as the rod sliced off her Zaku's right arm, sending the arm and the rifle flying towards the ground. Nia widened her eyes for a moment as the rod pierced through her shield. She disengaged her shield and flew downwards, dodging a volley of beam fire from the Abyss. Lunamaria began her flight away from the battlefield, followed closely by the Sensou pilots and Athrun. Cagalli clutched her head, which had been cut during the fighting.

"Branden fly on ahead, I'll provide cover for the Chief representatives" Kojiro said, flying to Athrun's side.

Sting fired his beam rifle at the retreating machines, grinding his teeth together as Stella refused to listen to his orders. But Jone wasn't too bothered as he whacked the Impulse with his electric rods.

"Stella we need to leave now" Sting said.

"No, I can still beat him" Stella growled.

"THEN I GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO DIE!" Auel yelled.

Stella suddenly froze, hugging her arms as her body shook.

"Auel you idiot" Sting said.

"What, she wouldn't stop"

"Now now boys no arguing" Jone smirked.

"I don't…I don't want to die" Stella whispered.

"Poor girl, Sting, Auel its time to go, Stella you go in front, I'll deal with the three Zafties!" Jone said, narrowing his eyes at the Zaku's and the Impulse.

* * *

The Ravens nest was a mercenary company formed by Zack Tempest and composed of only himself, Mayura and Anna. Though all three of them formerly worked for Sensou they left when Zack doubted the organisations effectiveness. However they never took jobs that would result in a war. Right now they weren't on the job, they were just looking at the battle, monitoring it's progress.

"What's going on?" Anna asked.

"Some kind of surprise attack" Zack said as he closed his eyes.

His Neo Raptor began to generate a Newtype pulse. It was like a spiritual aura of energy that crept across space. Zack felt every object it touched; he sensed not only the mobile suits but also the emotions of the pilots. He felt frustration from the pilot of the Buster Archer as she continuously fired at the Dusk Aero Gundam. But when it came to the Dusk Aero Gundam he saw the man known as Silver Mask. Suddenly glowing right eye on Silver Mask's helmet flashed. Zack opened his eyes, clutching his controls tightly.

"Zack are you alright?" Mayura asked.

"Silver Mask…it's like before, I couldn't detect his identity but I could always feel his presence, like the original…or maybe he is the original" Zack said.

He rubbed his eyes before sliding his helmet's plate down. The Raven's Nest continued to watch the battle, there was no profit for this fight and it was still unclear which group was worth fighting. Vincent raised his shield, blocking a Dagger L's sabre. With a yell he pushed the Dagger L back, standing his ground as two more drew their sabres. He launched a grenade from his shield, hitting a Dagger in the head. Then he fired his beam rifle, shooting one in the chest.

"Kuzzey, is everyone off the Cape Town yet?" Vincent asked.

"Not yet, some people are trapped under rubble, captain Lynx assures me that every will get off all right" Kuzzey said.

On the Cape Town, the Captain threw a steel girder off of a crewmate. Helping the man off the floor, he handed him over to two medics. Then he took an extinguisher and began putting out several fires.

"GO GET TO THE ESCAPE PODS!" He yelled at three formerly trapped crewmembers.

An explosion threw a crewmember off of a GM, sending his dead body floating across the hanger. Captain Lynx made his way through the corridors, helping up stragglers as they made their way to the escape pods.

"You two, I want you to get this man to the pod then take off" Captain Lynx said as he handed over a burnt crewmember. "I want you to relay this order, any pods with wounded on them go to the Pegasus or any other ZAFT ship, anybody else get back to Earth and wait for Sensou pick up" He explained.

In space a GM fired at the Bombard, drawing its attention away from escape pods. Stark swung around, shooting both the GM and an escape pod. The pilot of a Neo Raptor yelled as he rammed the Bombard in mobile armour mode.

"Idiot, dying for the weak!" Stark said before shooting the Raptors cockpit.

A purple mobile armour launched from the stealth ship Girty Lue. Captain Roanoke lowered his head as he watched the Bombard shoot at helpless escape pods. Stark couldn't be stopped by his order alone, that's what made the masked Captain so angry about this machine. Vincent heard screaming across the radio channels and pushed his Jegan past the Daggers. Joe pushed the Fallen aside, and then moved to slash the two Daggers' apart before they could pursue Vincent.

"Captain Gerwald, position your ship to pick up the wounded Sensou soldiers" Joe said.

"We got wounded of our own here Daigoji and this damn heavy armed mobile suit is taking pot shots at us" Alan said.

"Damn it, we can't just let the Sensou guys get shot down" Noah growled, slamming his beam claws against Darcel's sabres.

The Black Gundam suddenly dashed past Linda's Zaku. Dagger bought up a scope over his eye, taking aim at the Bombard. Silver Mask flew at Lyna, splitting her left arm in half. He then drew a submachine gun from his shield, firing at the Bombard. At the same time, Dagger armed his Gundam's sniper cannon. A single shot slammed into the Bombard's shoulder, throwing it off course Vincent stopped his mobile suit as he watched the escape pods fly. Some flew towards the Earth while others flew towards the Pegasus. He took note of a Purple mobile armour flying towards the colony, but right now his priority was his men.

"Kuzzey, clear med bay, have every doctor and nurse ready to receive patients and send messages to any ZAFT ships near by" Vincent said.

"All Zaku Kai troops, watch over the escape pods as they make their way to the ZAFT ships, protect them with your lives if you have to" Dagger said.

None of the Zaku Kai troopers questioned his orders as they positioned themselves around the escape pods. Dagger flew away from his troopers, targeting the Buster Archer. Lyna fired her pistol, but Dagger easily managed to dodge the blades. He slammed his foot into the Archer's faceplate, throwing it back.

"This is Lyna Crosswind, I am returning to the Girty Lue" Lyna said.

Joe slammed his katana against the Fallen's sabre. He grinded his teeth together, throwing the Gundam back slightly. Silver Mask fired at the Bombard, hitting its chest with the solid submachine gun rounds. Stark fired beam rounds, which Silver Mask easily managed to dodge. Then Stark fired a volley of missiles, hitting every part of the Aero Gundam's body. When the smoke cleared Stark saw that the missiles had damaged the Gundam's armour slightly.

"Good, you don't deserve that kind of suit if you cant at least damage me" Silver Mask said, sheathing his sword and grabbing the submachine gun from his shield.

The Slaughter stepped off of Noah's Guaiz and fired its guns, hitting Ruther and Sochiro's GINN's.

"Damn it, I cant move my left arm" Ruther said.

"My main cameras been hit, but I can still fire a gun" Sochiro said.

"If my brothers still capable of fighting then I am too" Ruther smirked.

"Idiotic weaklings, DIE!" Darcel yelled.

Suddenly a beam blast flew towards the Slaughter. Darcel flew upwards just in time. But he then bought his shields together as a beam axe flew towards him. The force of the axe knocked him back slightly as it returned to the hand of a black Zaku Kai, bearing a lightning bolt style horn. It's pilot narrowed her blue eyes as she dived towards the Slaughter.

"Lain, be careful, Akushi's blood lust was an act, this new pilots isn't" Dagger said over the radio.

"You told me to make sure Noah's team survives, although I don't trust that thug and his band of psycho's" The blonde haired girl said.

"Neither do I, but the war hasn't truly begun yet"

* * *

Inside the Armoury, Flay widened her eyes in astonishment as she looked at ZAFT's new battleship; the machine was like an upgraded version of the Archangel. Athrun stumbled into the hanger, followed shortly by Branden and Kojiro. Lunamaria Hawke was speaking with several ZAFT soldiers when she saw the new arrivals.

"You five, what are you doing here?" She demanded, aiming her pistol alongside several other soldiers.

"HOW DARE YOU POINT A GUN AT ME COORDINATOR!" Branden yelled.

"I'm Alex Dino, this is chief representative Athha of Orb" Athrun said, standing in front of Cagalli.

Kojiro gripped Branden's shoulder while Flay stepped forward, keeping a hand on his chest. She narrowed her eyes at the soldiers and at the red coat pilot standing before them.

"We are of Sensou, I am chairwoman Flay Alster and under the Junius Seven treaty article 9 on terrorist response you as a soldier of the attacked country must do as I say…and I say get these two pilots flight suits and let me use a comm. Station" Flay explained, causing Branden to calm down and Luna to widen her eyes.

Shinn, Rey and Nia flew after the stolen Prototypes. While three of them flew ahead, the Mercy straggled behind, firing it wrist beam Vulcan's. Jone kept his focus on the biggest threat, the Impulse. But he also knew that the two Zaku's were dangerous opponents as well. After all only aces were allowed to paint their mobile suits in customised colours. Sting turned his machine around, firing a few shots at Rey. But the White Zaku easily managed to dodge them, returning fire with Nia.

"I won't die, I don't want to die!" Stella whispered as she flew towards the colony wall.

"Shinn, we're sending you the Force Silhouette, be ready to receive it" The Minerva's communication officer Meyrin Hawke said.

"All right!" Shinn said, flying the Impulse upwards.

A white jet flew out of the Minerva, carrying a red and black flight pack with beam sabres attached. Branden pulled the collar of the green flight suit he had been given. They were uncomfortable in comparison to Sensou flight suits. He and Kojiro sat in their mobile suits, waiting as the Minerva flew out of the colony. Durandal walked into the bridge, smiling for a moment at the captain before he took a seat. The bridge began to darken as it slid downwards; the crew was going to condition red and beginning to load the weapon tubes.

"Roger that, Ma'am the Chairwoman of the Sensou organisation is apparently onboard, she has ordered us to launch two Zaku's that are awaiting launch" Meyrin said.

"Let them launch, right now our forces outside need the morale boost that Gundam pilots could provide" Durandal explained, inwardly smiling at the opportunity to watch Branden and Kojiro in battle.

"Your request has been accepted, prepare to launch" Meyrin said.

Branden and Kojiro slid their visors down while the Minerva flew out into space. Inside the colony, the Impulse detached its sword silhouette and changed its chest armour to a blue colour as the Fore silhouette flew into it's back. The Impulse's shield expanded and the Gundam's eyes flashed before flying past the Zakus. Stella fired her beam rifle, shooting a hole through the side of the colony. Stark fired his missiles at the Dusk Aero Gundam, which flew away from the battle. Silver Mask smirked as he looked at his new targets, the escaping Gundams.

"Well, looks like we're all alone" Stark said, turning to the Jegan.

"Kuzzey, be ready to launch the Samurai's and the Burning pack!" Vincent said.

"Yes sir, Branden we're sending the Murasama to the Bagal units location, be ready to support them as they retreat" Kuzzey said.

Branden grunted, but was still prepared to follow orders.

"Kojiro you'll be supporting Joe Daigoji"

Kojiro nodded his head, walking ahead of Branden's Zaku towards the launch catapult. Inside the Pegasus, the mechanics were positioning two machines and a jet for launch. The stolen machines flew out of the armoury, with the Impulse in close pursuit. A beam suddenly flew out of the space, cutting the Impulse off from the suits. Neo Roanoke smirked as he darted the Exus around the Impulse, releasing his gunbarrels.

"Preparing to launch the Kenshin, all units prepare to protect the Gundams" Kuzzey said.

"You heard the man, HOORAA!" The GM pilots yelled, firing at the Bombard.

Stark grinded his teeth together, seeing the Jegan and the GM's as mere annoyances. The Zaku Kai's and the Neo Raptors of Raven's nest were deflecting his missiles. And that Black Gundam was merely flying around, its eyes focused on the Jegan. Akushi Thanos narrowed his eyes as he saw the Jegan throw aside its shield and rifle. Vincent took a deep breath as his seat tilted slightly, sliding his legs and head into a more comfortable position while new controls slid out of the panels. The jet that flew ahead of the Gundam's launched a shield and a gauntlet that flew towards the Jegan. Joe slammed his katana against Lucifer's sword. Both pilots looked at one of the Gundams floating by them.

"What is this?" Lucifer wondered, pushing the Kampfer aside.

Kojiro pushed the Zaku Phantom forward, opening the cockpit as he flew towards his Gundam. He jumped out of the Zaku as Lucifer fired his Vulcan's. The bullets flew past Kojiro and into the Zaku. Kojiro breathing quickened as the shockwave from the explosion sent him rolling towards the Gundam. He ignited his backpack rockets and clicked a button on the remote he carried. At the same time, Branden clicked the button on his remote, opening his Gundam's cockpit.

"What is that idiot doing?" Linda asked.

"This guys crazy, I love this guy already" Noah said with a grin.

Branden laughed as he flew out of the Zaku, just as a missile flew into the machine. Holographic gauntlets appeared around Vincent's hands as the gauntlet and shield slammed into the Jegan's arms. The shield was red with a gold cross on it, built after the first Gundam's shield. A three-barrelled gun slid into the Jegan's hands as the jet detached several pieces of armour. The armour began to slam into the Jegan as the Jegan scanned Vincent's eyes.

"Daddy's home baby, time to kick ass!" Branden said as he closed his Gundam's cockpit.

The arms of the Gundam suddenly twitched, as it's red and grey phase shift armour covered it. It's fierce faceplate turned a silver colour like it's bladed shoulders and V-fin. Then its eyes glowed yellow as it drew two large assault swords and pointed it at the Slaughter.

"MURASAMA READY!" Branden roared.

Kojiro clicked several buttons inside the cockpit of his machine. The red and blue phase shift armour began to cover its body. It's horsehair and parts of its chest and legs took on a gold colour. The horsehair covered the Gundam's head, apart from its glowing yellow eyes and the silver V fin and horns on its helmet. It drew a spear form its back, spinning it around before dropping into a defensive stance.

"Kenshin is ready for battle" Kojiro said, his breathing and heart rate slowing as he entered his peaceful state.

Durandal smiled as the Minerva crew widened their eyes. The Gundams bought fear to their enemies and hope to their allies. They were not just weapons but symbols. Symbols Durandal could use to shape the future of the world. Stark's hands shook for a moment as he looked at the Jegan. Extra layers of Phaseshift armour had covered its chest, shoulders, feet and legs and changed to a grey and red colour. Armour slammed into the Jegan's helmet as it's visor darkened and two green glowing slits appeared. Vincent opened his eyes as a holographic scope appeared over his left eye. The modified Jegan aimed its three-barrelled gun at the Bombard.

"Nenshou Jegan, ready to preserve order" Vincent said.

Next Chapter 3: Glowing eyes

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the update, there will be more action next chapter when the Impulse and Zakus fight the Exus, a Gundam beat down with the Murasama against the Slaughter, the Kenshin against the Fallen and the Nenshou Jegan against the Bombard, plus the three Extended fight Silver Mask


	4. Glowing Eyes

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

I'm back with another update, I'd like to think I'm on a roll lol! Hopefully this is as good as the last chapter, enjoy!

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 3: Glowing Eyes

Stark smirked as he looked at the Nenshou Jegan, it was hardly worthy of being called a threat. The Bombard lifted up its pistols and began firing rapid-fire rounds into the Gundam's shield. Vincent grinded his teeth together, knowing that he couldn't afford to hold back his manoeuvres in this battle. But Kojiro and Branden already got off to a good start as they charged straight towards their opponents. Darcel fired his chest Gatling guns, but Branden easily managed to circle around the bullets. He lifted his sword over his shoulder and cut through the barrel of the Slaughter's left gatling gun. Darcel threw the gun aside and drew a beam sabre. He blocked the Murasama's right blade, and then fired his other gatling gun. But Branden flew upwards; returning fire with his own chest mounted Vulcan's.

"Damn, the new arrivals doing better than we were" Noah said.

"Bagal team, if you want to live then get back to your ships and help support the wounded" Lain said over the radio.

"You heard the girl, support Alan with the wounded from the Cape Town"

"All hands prepare yourselves for condition red, ready Tristans and Isoldes" Arthur Trine said through the Minerva's speakers.

An explosion shook the Minerva's crew. The Fallen flew around the Minerva, firing its powerful Vulcan's at the ship. Kojiro suddenly flew over the bridge, slammed his spear against the Fallen's wing. The wing suddenly released a pulse of some kind, throwing the Kenshin onto the Minerva. Kojiro quickly got up; just in time to block the Fallen's sabre slash. Both machines grinded their weapons together, then turned their heads to their left as one of the Minerva's cannons positioned itself to fire.

"Oh crap" Kojiro said casually.

The two Gundams flew up just as the cannon fired, narrowly missing their legs. Kojiro thrust his spear at Lucifer, who batted the blade aside with his wings. Then Lucifer fired his Vulcan's, scratching the Kenshin's helmet. But that did little to sway Kojiro as he swung his spear horizontally. The blade split apart, igniting a beam glaive hidden in the blade. Lucifer ignited both his beam sabres, crossing them together to stop Kojiro's beam blade. Sparks flew out of the blades and practically lit up space, providing a target for the Minerva.

"Target the winged mobile suit, send out signal flares for the Impulse and Zakus and any mobile suits willing to join up with us" Talia said, leaning forward on her chair as she called out orders.

The Impulse and two Zakus looked through space for any sign of the darting mobile armour. Rey felt a strange tingling sensation in his head before he dodged a beam. He swung around, firing at a mobile armour pod. Nia cursed as a beam flew into her leg. She looked towards where the beam had been fired from, only to find the mobile pod gone. Shinn gasped as a beam flew towards him. He flew to the side dodging the beam, only for a pod to fly towards him. The pod ignited two beam blades and slashed the Impulse's shield.

"Damn it, where is he?" Shinn asked.

'What is this feeling?' Neo wondered as he flew past the White Zaku.

The Zaku turned around, firing at Neo's Exus. But Neo easily managed to dodge the beams and flew upwards, targeting the blue Zaku.

"SHIT!" Nia yelled as the Exus's main cannon cut off her right arm.

She fired her beam rifle at the back of the Exus, brushing the mobile armours side. Another flurry of beams flew around the mobile suits, forcing them to dodge. One beam brushed against the Impulse's leg, and another struck the Blue Zaku's shoulder. Only Rey was able to dodge the beams successfully, as if he could see the attacks coming before they happened. Likewise Neo felt Rey target him every time. They sensed one another's very presence. It was as if they looked one another in the eyes as they fired at one another.

"Nia, Rey be careful you're not in space suits" Shinn said.

"Thank you for that warning Shinn, asshole" Nia growled, throwing a volley of grenades.

But several beams cut the grenades apart and fired at the Zaku. Nia barely managed to dodge the three beams. Her breathing quickened as she saw the mobile armour pods surrounding her. Suddenly, Rey's Zaku slammed into hers and blocked the beams with his shields. Rey then fired his beam rifle, hitting one of the pods multiple times. The pod sparked before it blew up.

"This guys good!" Neo said.

While Neo covered their escape, the other stolen Gundams flew towards the Girty Lue. Stella widened her eyes as an orange and grey mobile suit blocked their path.

"You can't leave the party yet" Silver Mask said.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Auel said, firing all of his beam weaponry.

The Dusk suddenly flipped over the beams, spinning in midair before throwing its shield. Auel widened his eyes and yelled as the shield slammed against the Abyss's head. Silver Mask grabbed the shield then swung it at the Gaia. Stella gasped as the shield nearly touched the Gaia's head. She flew the Gaia to the side, her breath rate rising as she panicked. Sting fired his beam rifle, hitting the Dusk's shield. But Silver Mask flew forward and slammed his fist into the Chaos's face.

"Where have we seen that fighting style before?" Jone wondered.

He swung his heat rods at the Dusk, forcing it to fly backwards. Silver Mask casually drew his beam cutlass, pointing it at the Mercy.

"Your better than these three, I'd even go so far as to saying you've fought before" Silver Mask said.

Jone smirked as two thin and short beam sabres shot out of his wrists and into his hands. He span the Mercy's hands around, then pointed the sabres at the dusk Aero Gundam.

"Cool moves!" Silver Mask muttered.

"Wait until you see my next trick" Jone smirked.

Vincent kept his three barrelled gun trailed over the Bombard's chest while the Extended Gundam's pilot showed no fear. Stark slid his pistols into their holders and linked the parts of a bazooka together. The bazooka attached itself to the Bombard's left shoulder as Stark targeted the Jegan. Suddenly a blast flew from the bazooka, knocking the Jegan back.

"As I expected" Stark scoffed.

The Jegan's rockets ignited as Vincent retargeted the Bombard. He aimed his gun, firing a shotgun blast that knocked the Bombard back. Stark widened his eyes as his Gundam's shoulders and chest sparked.

"No way…not to someone like you!" Stark growled.

He threw the bazooka aside, drawing his pistols and firing rapid-fire bullets into the Jegan's shield. The Fallen dodged a volley of missiles fired by the Minerva. Kojiro span his spear around, the Kenshin's hair waving around as the machine built up speed. He slammed his spear against the Fallen's wings; using the momentum he had built to push the Fallen to the side. Lucifer fired his Vulcan's, but widened his eyes as the Kenshin span its spear with its fingers, blocking the bullets. Neither pilot spoke, both remaining in calm states as they slammed their blades together.

"COME ON!" Branden and Darcel yelled together.

Darcel slammed his sabre against Branden's swords. The Murasama threw the Slaughter back, forcing it to slide open its shoulders and fire a volley of missiles. Branden fired his chest mounted Vulcan's, intercepting some of the missiles. But Darcel then fired his Gatling guns, impulse cannon and missiles. The missiles slammed into the Murasama while the bullets and beams flew into Noah Bagal's ship.

"Shit, our thrusters are down, we can pursue our enemies" Alan said.

"Then I'll go to that new ship, Alan look after the wounded for me, Linda on me, we're reporting to that Archangel wannabe" Noah said.

"Yes sir" said Linda.

"I want more, need more…LET ME SHOOT SOMETHING!" Darcel yelled.

Darcel released a Newtype pulse, though the regular pilots weren't affected, those with enhanced spatial awareness felt as if a bee had stunned their heads. Anna clutched her head, groaning in pain while Zack grinded his teeth together. Rey and Neo rubbed their heads, stunned by the sudden surge of Newtype energies.

"There he is!" Nia said, throwing a few grenades at the Exus.

But Neo quickly recovered, flying the Exus around the grenades and shooting the Zaku's legs. Silver Mask flew at Jone, swinging his sword against the man's sabres. The Mercy's arms buckled under the strength of the Dusk's arms. Auel thrust his spear at Silver Mask's back. Spinning around, Silver Mask easily dodged the blade. Jone flew backwards as they blade of the Abyss's spear was inches from touching his chest. Sting fired his beam rifle and launched his mobile pods. The pods flew around the Aero Gundam, shooting at it with little effect.

"Not as annoying as funnels, in fact they provide little challenge" Silver Mask said.

The Dusk Aero Gundam elbowed the Abyss in the face then fired a burst of machine gun fire into the Chaos's chest. Jone flew behind the Gundam, swinging his sabres downwards. Suddenly the Aero Gundam flipped, kicking the Mercy in the chin. Silver Mask yelled as he prepared to finish the Mercy off. Suddenly, the Gaia fired its beam rifle, forcing the Aero Gundam back. Silver Mask crossed his arms while the Aero Gundam kept it's shield raised.

"You must really be afraid of dying" he said, his eye continually blinking.

He then grabbed his controls, aiming his machine gun. Pulling the trigger, Silver Mask fired at the retreating mobile suits, grazing the Chaos's shoulder and hitting the Mercy in the back.

"Energy is dangerously low, maybe we ought to think about retreating for now" Jone said with a smirk.

"You don't sound too panicky about it" Auel said.

"Your right, I should be more concerned about your safety Auel" Jone smirked as Auel swore over the radio.

Silver Mask continued to fire his machine gun, but stopped as the last shell flew out of the magazine. He rubbed his neck and turned towards the Minerva.

"Time to stretch my legs, it's about time I got out of this confined space, no offence Dusk Aero" he said.

"Everyone, retreat now, we don't want to lose what we've gained by being greedy" Neo said.

"NO! I'M GONNA KILL THEM ALL!" Darcel yelled.

"Darcel retreat now or I will put you through pain" Lucifer whispered just loud enough for Darcel to hear him.

Darcel grinded his teeth together, blocking another swing from the Murasama. Lucifer blocked Kojiro's spear thrust, then spread out his wings. The metallic feathers floated in front of the Kenshin for a moment before they exploded. Kojiro resisted the urge to put his hands to his eyes as the feathers flashed. The Fallen flapped its wings and ignited its rockets, flying away from the Minerva at top speed. Kojiro watched the Gundam fly away before beginning his flight back to the Minerva.

"Where do you think your going?" Branden asked as the Slaughter began to fly away.

"Brendan don't pursue" Flay said across the radio.

"What, but they're getting away" Branden said.

"Listen to her Branden, our own ships are severely damaged, our best bet is to pursue the stealth ship, ZAFT is designating it Bogey one" Kojiro explained on his communicator as he docked the Kenshin beside the red Zaku.

Branden let out a growl, firing one last blast at the Slaughter before flying towards the Minerva. Vincent continued to block a stream of bullets fired by the Bombard. Stark swung around, firing his missiles into the Cape Town. Captain Lynx was thrown against the wall of the gunnery stations. But that did little to stop him as he made his way to one of the consoles.

"Captain Lynx, get out of there" Vincent said.

"You look after my boys Commander, I ain't going down without leaving a mark" Lynx said, targeting the Girty Lue as the three stolen machines flew into its hanger. "TAKE THIS WEAKLINGS WHO CAN NOT LIVE PAST WAR!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger.

A missile was fired from one of the Cape Town's launchers. It flew past the Slaughter and span around, firing a drill like rocket. There was no explosion when the rocket hit the Girty Lue, causing Stark and Darcel to scoff.

"Now, it doesn't matter whether you go back into stealth mode or not…they will find you" Lynx said, smiling as the Bombard fired a beam towards the gunnery stations.

"CAPTAIN LYNX!" Kuzzey and Vincent yelled.

The gunnery station was consumed with fire, followed by the rest of the Cape Town. Flay lowered her head as she watched the ship explode. Vincent narrowed his eyes; sliding his pistol into his gauntlet he drew a beam sabre. The orange holograms across his arms intensified, covering his shoulders and face. He yelled, flying the Nenshou Jegan forward, its yellow sabre crackling with energy.

"Idiotic fool!" Stark growled.

"Stark return to the ship" Neo said.

"DON'T BREAK MY CONCENTRATION!" Stark yelled, firing a burst of missiles.

The Jegan flew from side to side, easily dodging the missiles as it flew at top speed. Stark slid his pistols into their holsters, then removed them and ignited the beam bayonets. He swung them at the Jegan, but much to his shock the Jegan flipped backwards. Noah, Dagger and Joe widened their eyes, seeing a silhouette of the Freedom as they remembered one of Kira Yamato's signature moves. Vincent copied the move flawlessly as he held his sabre in a reverse style grip and flew straight through the Bombard's legs.

"That's impossible…just impossible!" Stark said before he flew the Bombard away.

Vincent wiped the sweat off his brow as he deactivated the sabre. Joe and Noah flew towards the Minerva, waiting as the Impulse and Zaku's docked with the ship. Dagger Thanos and his team of Zaku Kai's were long gone from the area, flying away at speeds that ZAFT couldn't keep up with.

"So that's the butcher" Dagger said.

"He really isn't such a bad guy if he cries for his comrades, is that right Dagger?" Lain asked.

"No he isn't…I can see why Jaeger trusted his legacy to him"

"Are we going to be fighting soon Commander?"

"For now we will let the Minerva pursue this "bogey one" and let Durandal enjoy the results of his plans, but when the time comes the Black Storm will be ready to fight everyone if need be!"

Vincent sighed as he flew the Jegan towards the Minerva, detaching the pieces of the Nenshou armour. He rubbed his eyes before flicking to a page in Gekido's book for some much needed advice.

_Its all right to cry for a comrade Vincent, if the comrade deserves to have tears shed for them then shed them, but when the war comes remember this…win first cry later!_

Next Chapter 4: Masks

Silver Mask: Nice ship, cosier than the Archangel…or so I've heard

Anna: Is that a hint or are you misleading us?

Silver Mask: Wait a minute, what are you guys doing here?

Zack: We're a mercenary group, Durandal's leader of the Plants…in other words KACHING!

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, to offer an explanation on Vincent's skills he possesses an ability called Photographic reflexes, the Nenshou Jegan's computer analyses the moves performed by enemy or ally mobile suits and allows Vincent to calculate, memories and perform the exact hand movements that Vincent needs to do in order to pull off the move.

Thanks for reading the chapter, next time its Sensou and Ravens nest on the Minerva, as the current cast come face to face with Silver Mask!


	5. Masks

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

I do own Lord Tyrant

Welcome to another chapter of Destiny or Liberty! Today we take a break from action, but the action will kick off next chapter. We introduce more machines and the Sensou flight suit, I'm not sure how to describe it but what I will say is that the design is based on the main characters flight suit from Macross Frontier, havent actually seen an episode but I do like the way it looks

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 4: Masks

The Minerva, designed to become the best and most powerful warship in the ZAFT fleet, and a second Archangel. Equipped with numerous weapons and a bridge that protected itself by lowering itself into a section of the ship. Including in its design was a positron cannon and three catapults as well as numerous armaments including the Tristan dual beam cannons and Isolde 42cm triple cannons and a large collection of CIWS. Branden had whistled at the ships design before he had entered the hanger. Kojiro's Kenshin Gundam was already stored next to one of the Zaku's.

"Rookies!" Noah said as he looked at the damaged Zaku's.

"Says the guy whose squad got ass kicked by one mobile suit" Joe said, standing with his arms crossed between Noah and Linda.

"Hey we're out of practice that's all, those Sensou guys have been fighting terrorists and pirates so of course they'll be a little better than us, but just you wait after a few weeks we'll be back in tip top condition" Noah explained.

Vincent held onto the Jegan's line as it lowered him to the ground. Kojiro and Branden saluted him whilst Flay smiled.

"Next time Vincent I want you to wear a space suit, I've had the mechanics bring some Sensou suits along with the Jegan's Stark components" Flay explained.

"You know I hate carrying those missile launchers around" Vincent groaned as the four of them walked away from their machines.

"Chairwoman Alster, Commander Rach, I'm Rey Za Burrel, I'll be your guide here on the Normandy, the Chairman would like to speak with you and the Orb Representatives at your earliest convenience" Rey explained, saluting the guests.

Vincent and the Gundam pilots returned the salute while Flay bowed her head. They were about to walk into the elevator when they heard numerous whispers amongst the crew. Turning around, the five of them and everyone else in the hanger took notice of the Orange machine taking a place beside the Guaiz's. Its armour returned to its dull grey colour as the cockpit opened. Some of the soldiers kept their hands to their guns as the pilot stepped out. Shinn removed his helmet and looked at the masked pilot floating towards the ground. He was wearing a red suit with silver padding across the chest, knees and arms. What caught everyone's attention was the silver aerodynamic mask covering his head. He casually walked forward, giving a lazy two-fingered salute to the rookie pilots.

"Silver Mask" Shinn said, narrowing his eyes as he remembered the first version of the Aero Gundam.

"Yo…I believe I've got an appointment with a doctor" Silver Mask said, stopping beside Vincent.

Vincent looked at the man for a moment. He carried himself so casually; he couldn't remember where he had seen that before. Silver Mask's head twitched before he swung it around.

"OI! DON'T TOUCH DUSK AERO!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the hanger.

Youlan and Vino backed away from the machine with their hands up. Noah laughed while Joe stroked his head trying to keep himself from chuckling. The group walked into the elevator and travelled to the upper levels of the ship. Silver Mask was the first to step out, walking ahead of Rey.

"Nice place, beats a little room in the trenches…ah the wonders of the cosmic era" Silver Mask muttered.

"Silver Mask, if you'd like to follow me" Rey said.

"How many crewmen do you have on this ship?" Vincent asked.

"It's nowhere near filled to capacity, we were expecting those four prototypes the Chaos, Gaia, Abyss and the Mercy"

"That and the Strike rip off, I saw its blue chest armour" Branden said.

"The Impulse is currently the Minerva's most advanced mobile suit"

"What about the pilot?" Kojiro asked.

"Shinn is…difficult, but he wasn't given a red coat for nothing" Rey smirked. "If you'd just like to follow me to Captain Gladys's office"

Vincent looked at the walls of the ship; they were certainly lighter than what he was used to in the alliance. Even in Sensou they didn't incorporate comfort into their plans. He peeked his head into one of the recreational rooms, or rather a lounge, with a space side view and some vending machines and actual comfy chairs.

'Actually I'll need to see whether they're comfy chairs later' Vincent thought.

The group of pilots stopped at Talia Gladys's office. Vincent adjusted the collar of his jacket while. When they walked into the office they widened their eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Branden yelled.

* * *

Bogey One, or the Girty Lue already had a head star from the Minerva. But their pilots were far from ready. Most of the Extended were flawed, both Stark and Lucifer knew that. They were the perfect Extended, without flaws in their design and created with complete free will. The other Extended pilots had no idea what they were getting into or doing, but above all those they were flawed. Neo Raonoke would look at the four children sleeping in their chambers with hesitance. Sting, Auel, Stella and Lynn were known as Third Generation extended, the augmentations were through drugs and manipulations of their brain waves. While the first generation extended known, as "the druggies" were better fighters they were uncontrollable and their fighting time was reduced by the withdrawal phase of the drugs they took. But that wasn't a problem with the four new extended.

"Auel had used Stella's block word on her today" Neo said.

"I see, we'll erase that little incident" One of the scientists said.

"Idiots!" Stark muttered.

"Is there a problem Stark?" Neo asked.

Stark didn't wear an alliance uniform, unlike the other five extended. He wore more casual clothing that included a black motor jacket and jeans. Lucifer wore a sleeveless trench coat and long gloves across his arms. His black hair lung loosely over his eyes while Stark had brown hair, shaved short around the sides and back.

"Block words, at any moment they could go crazy and be useless to you, whoever created them was an idiot, the same applies to Darcel" Lucifer explained.

As they spoke, Darcel Archer was leaning against the wall of his room. Sweat dripped off of his pale blonde hair. He slammed his fists against the wall as he began to go through the withdrawal symptoms of his drugs. One of the scientists sat outside his room, looking over the inhaler they used to apply his drugs. Darcel's had more modifications than the other extended, but at the cost of his sanity. He still followed orders but to Neo he was a ticking time bomb ready to explode. Lucifer and Stark just regarded him with disdain.

"I do hope everyone feels better and can soon join me in the mess, it gets lonely in there" Jone said, casually leaning against the wall as he watched the scientists work over the four younger teenagers.

"You are an imperfect Extended, don't make the mistake of thinking you are our equal" Stark growled.

"Everyone's imperfect, your arrogance is a common example" Jone grinned.

He was still wearing his business suit and kept his smile fixed as Stark growled.

"That's enough all of you!" A sharp voice said from the doorway.

The scientists trembled when they heard the voice. He was using a synthesizer but he was still an intimidating man because of who he represented.

"General Tyrant!" Lucifer said, saluting the man.

He wore an armoured green flight suit and a helmet that had a green visor revealing his eyes. The plate across his mouth had the Kanji symbol for Tyrant and blinked as he spoke.

"Our mission was a success, even with the Minerva pursuing we have still succeeded" Tyrant said, crossing his arms as he looked down at the four children.

"The death of several of my men can hardly be considered a victory general" Neo said.

"Your men are fools who got into this mission without knowing its exact purpose, and thus they died worthless deaths and their families will be told a filthy lie of how they died in an accident or heroically against pirates, if it were up to me Roanoke I would have had just my men and the Extended on this mission but your benefactor disagrees" Tyrant explained.

"Your men have yet to reveal themselves and you didn't provide us with any assistance at the Armoury"

"True in both cases, but now you will depend on us for your survival, we will do as we have been ordered to do and ensure you live to step on Earth" Tyrant said as he walked out of the room.

The scientists were terrified of that man, but Neo was made of sterner stuff. Stark and Lucifer didn't show it but they too were scared of that man. Jone however was probably the only Extended that dropped his guard around Tyrant. Neo didn't know what bothered him more, the possibility that Jone was so confident in his ability to kill or that he really was as carefree as he made himself out to be.

* * *

Back on the Minerva, Branden stood glaring at not just Cagalli Yula Athha but Zack Tempest.

"Yo Branden, Kojiro how are you?" Zack asked.

"Don't you "hi how are you" me turncoat" Branden said.

"Zack merely resigned from his position in Sensou Branden, he cant be considered a turncoat" Kojiro said.

"Don't sugar coat it he left us just as we were about to start making a difference in the world"

"Yeah, Sensou really makes a difference" Cagalli said, crossing her arms.

Durandal coughed, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"It's clear that there is bad blood between everyone here, will this be a problem for Captain Gladys and her crew?" Durandal asked.

"No Chairman it wont be, Zack Tempest was formerly of Sensou and he was a valuable soldier, but we respected his decision to form Raven's nest and we continue to support his path…so long as he doesn't monger war" Vincent explained.

"You should worry more about your own organisation" Cagalli said.

_Remain perfectly calm Vincent; you should never strike a lady, no matter how badly they piss you off!_

While the new arrivals talked with the captain, the Minerva's official crew spoke of the day's events or recovered from the shock of the attack. Nia sat in the mess hall, awaiting the repairs of her Zaku and considering ways she could improve if she ever faced that mobile armour again. Shinn had changed back into his red and black ZAFT uniform and was in the hanger with Lunamaria, looking over their machines.

"Hey Luna, whose the Zaku belong to?" Shinn asked.

"Oh someone from Orb came on with the representative Athha, he called himself Alex, but I think he might be Athrun" Luna said, smiling like a school girl. "Athrun Zala, I heard her call him that when a stray attack hit the ship"

'Great going Cagalli' Noah thought, crossing his arms at the scene.

"And those other units, the Jegan of Sensou" Shinn said, sipping his drink.

"More like the butcher of Sensou" Vino cut in, tapping on a pad he then passed to one of the other mechanics.

"Yeah, I heard he…"

"NONE OF YOU WERE THERE!" A voice yelled from the Jegan.

A small group of Sensou mechanics had been moved onto the Minerva, and one of them noticed the conversation the ZAFT workers were having. He wore the standard yellow overalls of Sensou maintenance crewmembers, his greasy brown hair hanging over his brown eyes. A few of his friends had stopped their work on the Jegan and floated to his side.

"You weren't there to see the two months that our Commander spent in his room and the five months of reckless test fighting and suicide missions he took part in, you weren't there to see the hundreds of letters people sent him thanking him for avenging their loved ones and helping to protect them" The mechanic explained.

Shinn and Lunamaria floated away from the scene as the mechanics continued to argue. Joe shook his head as he walked towards the scene.

"THAT'S ENOUGH ALL OF YOU!" He yelled. "You get back to work and I don't want to hear another peep from any of you is that clear?"

The Sensou and ZAFT crewmembers gave one another a final glare before they went back to work. Shinn and Lunamaria floated into the elevator.

"Hold it!" Noah said as he and Linda rushed into the elevator.

There was an awkward silence as the elevator moved towards the upper decks. Shinn and Luna weren't really sure how they should act in front of their captain's sister. Luckily they reached their floor before a conversation could be struck. They quickly floated down the corridor, meeting Rey at the entrance to the mess hall.

"Rey is it true the leader of Sensou is on this ship?" Lunamaria asked.

"Yes!" was Rey's simply response.

"It's strange that I never heard of him until he formed Sensou, but apparently he was in the Earth Alliance up until the end of the war" Luna said.

"He didn't have a spectacular reputation, in fact most people wondered why he was put in charge of Sensou" Shinn said.

"I heard a rumour that he was close to the renegade Earth Alliance soldier Gekido Jaeger"

"But what he did a year ago, it wasn't right!"

"That's your opinion of it Shinn, but the chairman seems to like him, maybe its because of his ability to make such a choice" Rey said.

Vincent sneezed, temporarily halting Durandal's speech.

"As I was saying, I apologise for the current situation, but I'm afraid our priority must be taking back those stolen machines" Durandal said.

"Sensou is happy to assist in any way possible, we have some ships in the area prepared to follow the signal of the tracker Captain Lynx placed on the ship" Flay explained.

"We're happy to have the extra help, our pilot roster is excessively low at the moment and most of our pilots are fresh out of the academy" Talia cut in.

"Ravens nest is also happy to help" Zack added.

"Chairman Durandal, I have no problem staying on the ship for a while, we cant allow another war to be born from the actions of these terrorists" Cagalli said.

"They can't be terrorists!" Vincent said, causing both Kojiro and Branden to nod.

"What makes you say that?" Durandal asked.

"It had to have been an inside job, so naturally it had to be someone who could afford to pay an insider a substantial reward, and also the machines we were dealing with had to have come from someone with the funds to build them and that stealth ship, that was a mirage colloid stealth system, the pilots were professionals and not just thugs using custom painted mobile suits, I'm thinking either a Earth Alliance senator or the Alliance as a whole" Vincent explained.

"You mean someone in the alliance would be willing to start another war?" Cagalli asked.

"Of course, not a lot of politicians agreed with the temporary alliance against Uragiri, classified or not Uragiri was the Alliance pigs greatest ally, my work in the Alliance black ops taught me that much" Branden said.

"But she's dead now right?" Zack asked, looking at Vincent.

"I struck the cockpit, and the nuclear explosion from her N-Jammer would have finished the job, there's no possible way she could be alive" Vincent said.

"We can find out who it is once we've recaptured the stolen machines, for now pursuing bogey one is the priority, I can have one of my staff guide you to your rooms, the Minerva isn't filled to capacity so we still have a lot of rooms available" Talia explained.

"Thank you" Athrun said as the group left the office.

Cagalli rubbed the bandage on her head while Athrun grabbed her arm. In truth he really wanted her to get away so that she wouldn't start an argument with Vincent. But it turns out that she wasn't the one he should be worried about.

"Vincent" Zack said, placing a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "I hope there's no bad blood between us, I wanted you to know that I don't actually have an opinion of what you did a year ago, that was just before I was leaving and I wasn't there myself so I shouldn't really form an opinion of what you were forced to do…but I will tell you that even though it might not have been right what you did saved lives" Zack explained.

Vincent lowered his head, smiling as he shook Vincent's hand.

"Thanks and I'm glad you got your business off to a good start, just make sure you don't cross the line" Vincent said.

Zack chuckled, patting Vincent's back.

"No sweat there, Uncle Fury would kill me if I did anyway" Zack laughed.

"Plus its easy not to cross the lines you've set Vincent" Cagalli said smugly.

Athrun sighed, floating with Cagalli down the hallway. Vincent again lowered his head, squeezing his hand into a fist.

"Typical of her huh, judging people from her high horse" Branden said.

"Well she wouldn't be the Cagalli we all love if she wasn't" Zack grinned.

"Doesn't necessarily mean that she's right" Silver Mask muttered.

He crossed his arms, floating down the hallway past Noah and Linda. Noah widened his eyes for a moment as Silver Mask bought his hand up in the standard ZAFT style salute. Then the masked man chuckled, switching it to a two-fingered salute as he steered down the left corridor. Noah smirked as he came face to face with Talia Gladys. He looked to Linda, frowning and twisting his smile as Linda kept on her neutral tone.

"Captain Gladys" Linda said with a salute.

"Lieutenant Gladys" Talia saluted back at her younger sister.

When she dropped her salute Talia smiled gently, but Linda didn't react to it. Noah looked between the two of them and sighed as Linda floated on ahead.

"Well thanks for letting us join the party Captain, I'll set myself up in a room, Daigoji's also on the ship, I'll be on the bridge shortly…and I'll catch up with you later Commander Rach!" Noah said, looking over his shoulder as he floated past Vincent's group.

For a moment the Sensou and Ravens nest crew waited before a few more crewmembers came.

"Hello!" A red hair girl said, saluting the group.

'Ah the bridge bunny' Branden thought, looking over the girl.

She had red hair tied up into two pigtails while she wore the standard green ZAFT uniform. Beside her was Rey Za Burrel; Zack narrowed his eyes at the young man, trusting his Newtype instinct to stay away from him. But when Zack looked at the red/violet haired red coat he couldn't help but whistle.

"Wow, ZAFT's certainly improved their taste in pilots" Zack grinned, putting a hand to his chin as he looked at Lunamaria's customised skirt.

"I'm Lunamaria Hawke, I'll be showing your crew around the ship Mr Tempest" The girl said, smiling as she offered a friendly salute.

"Maybe you'd like it to be just the two of you Zack" Mayura said, elbowing Zack's chest.

"Tempting…but I'd rather have another two hot ladies guiding me" Zack chuckled.

"And who are they?" Kojiro asked.

Branden and Flay sighed while Zack glared at the Orb pilot. Kojiro's problem was that he didn't really change his facial expression when he joked. In fact people rarely knew when he was joking.

"I'm Meyrin Hawke, Mr Sasaki, Mr Kamal if you'd like to follow me I can take you to your room" the red haired girl said.

"Commander Rach, Chairwoman Alster I can take you to your rooms" Rey said.

While the guests were shown around the ship, Shinn Asuka took a moment to rest in the mess hall. He leant against one of the chairs, sighing at the day's events. The other crewmembers then whispered amongst themselves as one of the latest new additions to the crew floated into the room. Silver Mask looked around the room, his eye flashing as he chuckled at peoples reactions to him.

"So you're the one who was chosen to pilot the Impulse" Silver Mask said, crossing his arms as he looked down at Shinn.

Shinn opened his eyes, narrowing them at Silver Mask.

"Your Silver Mask, you joined in the defence of Orb and left with a few other Orb soldiers for space" Shinn said.

"Maybe, maybe I was never there, what I find surprising is that every Gundam pilot is a child" Silver Mask said.

"If they're skilled who cares about their age?"

"So if a Fourteen year old proved to be affective in mobile suit combat your saying you would use them"

"What…no of course not, using a child like that is"

"A child fighting, unless they really know what they're getting into, unless they are willing to die than no one under eighteen should be willing to fight, and the people in power shouldn't be willing to use those people" Silver Mask explained, crossing his arms as he leant against the wall.

"I chose to be here" Shinn said.

"Maybe you chose to be in the military but did you choose the battles you fight, did you choose personally to be stationed on the Minerva piloting the most advanced mobile suit in ZAFT?" Silver Mask.

"No but I trust the Chairman's judgement, what about you, why are you here?"

"Because I chose to be, in the end we choose"

"And I've made my choice!"

Silver Mask stroked his chin as he looked at Shinn, the glow in his eye fading as he nodded his head.

"Hmmm, perhaps your right, only time will tell whether you've made the right choice" Silver Mask said as he walked out of the room.

Vincent looked at his room, he had actually requested a smaller room than an officers quarters. He refused to put himself in a position of better comfort than ordinary soldiers. Flay was the one who attended charity balls and grand openings. But Vincent was a soldier, just a simple soldier. He placed Gekido's journal on the bedside table and looked over the case that had been Flay had bought on. Branden and Kojiro also had similar cases, with their flight suits in them. Most pilot suits in Sensou wore grey suits with red across the chest and some parts of the helmet, along with a purple glass plate to cover the face. Kojiro however wore a black suit with a blue faceplate. Vincent wore the standard red and grey Sensou flight suit with the purple visor while Branden had the blue glass visor.

'Never thought I'd find myself on the ship of an enemy, part of me still thinks of the old EA and ZAFT hate, likewise I'm sure Branden's having an even more difficult time' Vincent thought.

The door opened and Flay peeked her head into the room.

"Vincent, Chairman Durandal has requested that we meet him for a tour of the ship, he's about to go into the hanger with Cagalli and Alex" Flay explained.

"I'm coming Flay" Vincent said.

The two of them floated towards the elevator where Durandal was waiting with Rey, Cagalli and Athrun. While they travelled towards the hanger, the other new arrivals settled into their rooms. Branden jumped onto his bed while Kojiro took out his flight suit.

"We should be ready for sortie" he said.

"Just enjoy the short break Kojiro" Branden groaned.

Zack placed a framed photo on his bedside table. It showed him standing with some of his friends from Jupiter. He smiled at the memory while in their rooms Mayura and Anna settled into their beds. Across from them, Silver Mask locked his door and turned off the lights. He reached for his helmet, pulling it off and placing it on his desk.

'Hmmm, shower now or later' he wondered.

Vincent widened his eyes in astonishment as he stepped into the hanger. The sight of the Zaku's was one he had never grown tired of. In fact he knew in time the Zaku's would become as iconic as the Sensou GM's. Durandal took note of Vincent's wondered and began his tour.

"The ZGMF 1000, your probably familiar with it as the Zaku, at present it's the main mobile suit of ZAFT" Durandal began. "A recent prototype is the Kampfer, though remarkable its operation time is significantly lower than the Zaku, but its superior the Efreet Nacht will be a significant improvement once it is completed" He explained.

"Joe Daigoji is those machines isn't he?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, he's proved to be a valuable instructor in the post war Plants, he's kept his unit in top condition through constant training, I've heard that your friend Gekido Jaeger had something to do with that" Durandal said, smiling as he looked at Cagalli.

"Gekido, he even inspired people in ZAFT?" Cagalli asked.

"Yes, I didn't approve of the decision to classify his actions, in fact I somewhat respect him myself, but I digress, onto the Impulse, with its unique launch system and perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Minerva, you must have seen it in action at the armoury"

"Yes!" Athrun said rather hesitantly.

"From what our engineers tell me this is supposed to be a completely new mobile suit system with remarkable efficiency" Durandal said, turning back to the machines as he spoke. "Though I'll be the first to admit I'm no expert on the technical details"

Cagalli looked at the machines, sighing and partially ignoring Durandal's praise.

"I take it you don't much care for it do you princess?" Durandal asked.

"Well you seem happy with it Mr Chairman" She said.

"Happy isn't the word I would use, my feelings stem from the thought of how hard everyone's had to work, to come far from so much chaos and gain such strength"

"Such strength…you said that strength would always be necessary because there would always be conflict Mr chairman" Cagalli said, the disdain evident to those who knew her.

'Here we go' Flay sighed.

"Yes, I did say that!"

"Then how can you just rationalise everything that has happened, because of your new mobile suits your nation has suffered an appalling amount of damage" Cagalli explained.

"Representative" Athrun said.

_When someone besides me goes on a tirade they always get it thrown back in their faces. Well not Lacus and Kira but I could certainly come up with a pessimistic response to their "everyone has the same dream" logic!_

"Are you saying that its wrong for nations to improve their defence networks?" Vincent asked, narrowing his eyes at Cagalli.

"And that we shouldn't seek strength?" Durandal noted.

"Why would you need it in the first place? Especially at this time!"

As Cagalli spoke, a young pilot growled as he listened to her judge a matter she couldn't understand. She was definitely an Athha.

"We vowed not to repeat the atrocities of the past, we were committed to following a path we could walk on together"

"That's true, ah but princess…"

"Making excuses has always been a specialty of the Athha's hasn't it?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, shocked by the sudden outburst of the young black haired pilot. He turned his head, his furious red eyes glaring at Cagalli. She widened her eyes, remembering someone's similar eyes two years ago.

_Gekido squeezed his fists together and growled in anger. He grabbed Cagalli by the collar of shirt and lifted her above the sand. Despite his morals, Gekido raised his fist, threatening to punch the girl. Victor put his hand on Gekido's shoulder._

_"Don't bother with her Gekido, she's just a silly girl who doesn't understand war, not like you and I do!" he said calmly._

_Gekido dropped his fist but still held onto Cagalli. He looked deep into her eyes and Cagalli was slightly intimidated by the way he was looking at her, almost sizing her up for her coffin._

_"Your eyes, they're the eyes of someone whose lived a sheltered and pampered existence, your not with these people, and you cant possibly begin to understand war and suffering, and neither can these people!" Gekido said dropping Cagalli to the ground. Before he left he turned his head and said one last thing "Don't forget to apologise to Kira…Princess!"_

Vincent narrowed his eyes for a moment before backing away in shock. He'd seen this boy before, somewhere along time ago.

"Shinn!" Rey said, floating towards the pilot.

Shinn ignored his friend's call and simply floated away.

"I'm sorry chairman, he will be disciplined for his actions" Rey said.

"My apologies princess, that you pilot is an immigrant from Orb"

The rest of what Durandal said was but a blur for Vincent as he rubbed his eye. His lip quivered and his hand shook.

_Vincent walked through the forests of Onogoro, occasionally looking up to make sure the battle between the Freedom and the Extended wasn't getting too close to him. The Strike Dagger looked downwards and its pilot gasped as he saw a family of four running through the forest. He grinded his teeth together at the luggage they were carrying. Then he widened his eyes as the Freedom and the Raider flew over them. A moment passed and Vincent watch the family try to leave, but the little girl struggled under her father's grip, before her brother jumped down a hill._

_"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING? STOP FOR SOMEONE NOT SOMETHING!" Vincent yelled as he broke the Strike Dagger off into a run._

_The Freedom went into its long-range mode and fired all of its guns just as the Calamity fired its cannons. Everything happened so fast for Vincent, he slammed his shield down on the ground in front of the three potential victims. The Red and white beam slammed into Vincent's shield, melting it to the Dagger's arm. Vincent grinded his teeth together, praying for the shield to hold for just a while longer. Thankfully for them, the shield did hold and they would walk away from this battle alive. Or that was at least what Vincent thought. A beam suddenly cut his Strike Dagger's left arm off and Vincent watched in horror as the arm dropped towards the three civilians. Vincent widened his eyes, and then dropped his head in shame; the crushed remains of the three civilians would haunt his memories forever. His shame turned to anger as he looked upwards to see the Devine Gundam. It had its rifle out and Vincent knew above all else that that machine was responsible._

"Vincent!" Flay said, shaking Vincent's shoulders.

"Oh…I'm sorry Flay what is it?" Vincent asked.

"Everyone's getting ready for battle, they've just found Bogey one!" she said.

"All right, I'll get ready!" He said.

Vincent rushed to his room to retrieve his flight suit, noting that Branden and Kojiro were ready with their suits on. Joe zipped up his white Commander's uniform while Shinn and Rey put on theirs. Rey's was a customised white and purple suit. In the girl's locker room, Luna, Anna and Linda put on their suits. Just then, Talia's face appeared on the screens of the communication consoles.

"Commander's Daigoji and Bagal, I'm giving command of the mobile suit forces to Commander Rach, you'll follow his commands in this battle" Talia explained.

"What, but the kids an Earthborn" Noah said.

"But in a post war era he's got the mot experience in fighting" Joe said.

"So have Kojiro and Branden and they aren't being put in charge"

The door suddenly slid open and Vincent stepped into the room.

"Everyone report to your machines and be ready to launch, Bogey one is going through the Debris field, Branden and Kojiro will stay behind as reinforcements in case we need it, Noah, Linda, Mayura and Rey will stay to protect the Minerva if need be, I will pursue Bogey One with the Impulse, the two Zaku's, Joe, Zack and the Guaiz's" Vincent explained, putting on his helmet.

The other pilots nodded their heads and put on their helmets. Silver Mask floated into the hanger, and into his own machine as the Minerva crew went through their launch preparations. Meyrin Hawke spoke over the intercom, speaking commands and warnings to the rest of the crew.

"Preparing core splendor for launch, blast pack selected, moving core splendor to launch catapult, Daigoji unit Efreet Nacht, preparing to attach custom sword wizard, attaching Gunner wizard to Zaku Warrior Lunamaria unit, Nia unit standby with Slash wizard, moving Jegan to secondary catapult" Meyrin explained.

"Stark components are fastened on Commander, be sure to detach the missile launchers if things get too fast for you" One of the mechanics said.

Vincent nodded his head, allowing the arms of the hanger to move his Jegan to the catapult. On the central catapult, the Impulse was preparing for launch while the Efreet Nacht launched out of the third catapult, followed by the two Zaku Warriors.

"Vincent Rach, Stark Jegan launching!" Vincent declared.

"Shinn Asuka, core splendor launching" Shinn said

Shinn remained calm as he launched, each piece of the Impulse gradually slammed together. The blast pack slammed into the back, turning the Impulse's chest armour into a black and green colour. Vincent flew out of the Minerva, the Jegan bearing extra layer of armour on its chest, back, legs and head along with missile launchers on its shoulders.

"Now preparing to launch Neo Raptor units!"

"Zack are you sure we can depend on Commander Rach?" Anna asked, sliding her faceplate down.

"For now, but he proves to be incompetent then we'll probably have to renegotiate our contract" Zack said.

Zack's Neo Raptor shouldered a huge sniper rifle while Anna carried the regular rifle. They too remained silent as they launched and immediately switched to their mobile armour modes.

"Okay toots put me onto the catapult now!" Silver Mask said.

Meyrin blushed, swearing that she saw the man's glowing eyewink at her. She gave the commands and the crew operating the mechanical arms moved the Dusk Aero Gundam to one of the catapults. Athrun, Cagalli and Flay sat in the Minerva's bridge. They were quite shocked by the bridge lowering system, though they were at least glad to have the extra protection, even in the darkness. Durandal was sat beside Talia and took a vocal interest in the coming battle.

"Bogey One, we call it that but I wonder what its real name is, its true name!" Durandal said, catching Athrun's attention.

Silver Mask clicked a few buttons on his console, going through his Gundams activation process.

"Lets do this partner!" He said.

"A name reflects its owners nature, but what if the name is really a fake?" Durandal asked, turning his chair slightly to look over at Athrun. "Is something goes by a false name would it mean that thing is fake? False by nature, is that what it would mean Alex, or is it Athrun Zala!"

"Silver Mask, Dusk Aero is ready, HERE WE GO!" The masked man yelled before his orange machine flew from the ship.

_A false name, a false nature…perhaps if someone went by a false name then they have false intentions…or maybe they're trying to hide from what they know they can't escape from! Food for thought Athrun, food for thought!_

Next Chapter 5: Mongers!

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Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next will be heavy action and gunfire, along with the introduction of some new custom machines


	6. Mongers

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Today we reveal more characters and more changes too, enjoy!

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Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 5: Mongers

Vincent couldn't help but look out of his side view screen at the Impulse. He never once thought that he would see Shinn Asuka again. Maybe some part of it was destiny, or god's sick idea of a joke. Luna and Nia kept their guard up, while the four Guaiz's flying beside them also kept alert. Joe cocked his beam shotgun and Zack kept his Newtype senses on high alert. Further away from the battlefield, under the cover of an asteroid, Neo looked out at the battle with a smirk. Beside him, General Tyrant kept his eyes closed, his body never moving as he went into a trance. Jone also kept his eyes closed, but in the seat of his machine. Lynn Crosswind kept her breathing steady and her aim true as she targeted the ZAFT mobile suits.

"NOW!" Neo yelled.

"All of you reveal yourselves" Tyrant said.

Lynn fired her sniper rifle, sending a beam hurtling through the debris and slamming into the chest of a Guaiz.

"SHAWN!" Luna yelled, watching the mobile suit explode.

"Ambush, everyone watch yourselves!" Joe said.

The Chaos, Gaia, Abyss and Fallen flew out of their hiding places. Lucifer drew his beam sabre, slamming it against Nia's shield. Auel fired all of his beam weapons, forcing Luna and Shinn to fly to separate. Switching to her quadruped form, Stella leapt between pieces of fallen ships, dodging beam fire from the Guaiz's and Anna's Neo Raptor. Stinn released his mobile pods and fired at Vincent's Jegan.

"Damn it, it was as if I couldn't sense them before but now I can" Zack said.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, it takes me a while to recover from using my trick!" Jone said.

The mercy swung its heat rods at Zack, who barely managed to dodge in time. Zack widened his eyes, keeping them fixed on the Mercy as its rods glowed a green colour.

'I'm not feeling anything from him, but I can see and hear him, I just cant sense him with my Newtype abilities' Zack thought.

Suddenly, the Dusk Aero switched into its jet form and launched a volley of missiles. The missiles slammed into the side of the Fallen, knocking it away from Nia's Zaku. A missile flew into the Gaia, causing Stella to scream as she felt the tremor of the explosion. Silver Mask then switched to mobile suit mode, firing a burst of machine gun fire into the Chaos's chest.

"What the hell, I thought this guy was a noob!" Auel said before he fired is chest cannon at the Dusk.

"I said reveal yourselves, all of you now!" Tyrant growled.

Vincent blocked a shot from the Chaos's beam rifle and widened his eyes as he saw something appeared from behind one of the meteorites. It was the arm of a mobile suit, with sharp fingers tightened around a beam gun with two barrels, one long and the other thick. Suddenly a bullet flew form the long barrel, hitting a Guaiz in the back. A few seconds passed before the round exploded, consuming the Guaiz.

"MORE MOBILE SUITS!" Joe yelled, blasting a meteorite away with his shotgun.

The shot revealed more mobile suits hiding amongst the debris. Shinn and Luna widened their eyes as they looked at the designs. The heads were round, with small grey V-fins. Parts of the armour were black including two lines and a circle across the chest, their clawed fingers and lines around their legs and shoulders. But the main colour of the armour was grey; all of them had two glowing green eyes. One was equipped with double shields, with big beam sabres built into them and beam revolvers. The second was equipped with a beam sniper cannon on its right shoulder and a bazooka on its left shoulder. The third unit had an anti ship sword on its left shoulder and two submachine guns.

"They look familiar" Nia said.

Vincent narrowed his eyes at the fourth and final unit; it was equipped with a shield and two-barrel rifle, one for shooting explosive rounds and the other for beam rounds. But then he widened his eyes as he saw the weapon attached to the units left shoulder, or rather the weapons. The four diamond like objects slid off of the machine's shoulders and split apart into eight funnels.

"Fin funnels! EVERYONE EVASIVE MANOUVRES!" Zack yelled.

Joe suddenly swerved to the right as the black funnel fired at his earlier position. The Four unknown machines moved forward, drawing their weapons as they moved on their targets. Nia fired her Gatling guns, widening her eyes as the black parts of one of the machines glowed a gold colour. The beams of her guns rebounded off the armour, destroying the debris around the machine. It ignited the beams of its antiship sword and slammed it against Nia's shield. She grinded her teeth together as her machine was sent flying backwards.

"Ma'am four new units have suddenly appeared on radar!" One of the Minerva bridge crew said.

"They seem to be generating intense energy surges ma'am, we've identified it as an unknown energy recorded from the Le Creuscet team earlier in the first war during its encounters with the Archangel" Another crewmember explained.

"Wait a minute, unknown energy signature…no that's impossible" Flay said.

"Please Chairwoman share with us your thoughts" Durandal said, turning to Flay with a reassuring smile.

"On the Archangel, the instruments that we used to analyse Gekido's Gundam couldn't class the energy that the machines generator gave off so naturally ZAFT would have had the same problem, I think those machines are using Arc Reactors!" Flay explained.

Vincent blocked another shot from the Chaos's rifle, cursing as a mobile pod shot his leg. Shinn fired his beam rifle at the Chaos, and then he bought up his missile launchers and fired a stream of missiles towards the Mercy. Jone flew between the missiles, grunting mildly as one struck his shoulder. Vincent bought his Jegan round and fired his missiles. The missiles flew towards every available target. But much to Vincent's shock, the funnels flew around the intercepted the missiles with a wall of beams. Then the funnels flew in separate directions, shooting the Efreet Nacht in the shoulder and a Guaiz in the back. The Fourth unknown mobile suit then shot the Guaiz in the chest with its beam rifle. Silver Mask turned towards the unit, his glowing eye narrowing as he drew his beam sword.

"I cant help but feel excitement, maybe its because seeing these machines reminds me of the past, and the most fun I had in years" Silver Mask said as the machine clipped its rifle to its back and drew a green beam sabre.

Anna and Zack flew across the debris belt, easily dodging beams fired by the Abyss while. A few funnels flew after the Neo Raptors, hitting Anna's nose cone. She immediately switched to mobile suit mode and bought her shield up, gasping as a beam flew into her leg.

"Anna!" Zack said, concern evident in his voice.

He switched to mobile suit mode and fired several shots from his rifle. Suddenly he felt a Newtype surge and swung around just as a beam flew past his head. He bought his rifle round and fired a blast that hit the sniping mobile suit in the shoulder. But that didn't stop the mobile suit as it fired a stream of bullets from its Vulcan's.

"The design is updated but the weapons and the main look and colour is unmistakable" Joe said, smirking as he fired his shotgun at the Chaos.

Sting bought his mobile pods around, shooting the back of the Jegan's shoulder and Joe's leg. Joe threw his shotgun aside and drew a beam katana as the Fallen drew its sabre.

"Those new machines, the way they glow is exactly how the survivors of Gekido Jaeger's rampages describe them, those new machines are Purposes!" Joe said.

"Your right, they seem to be limited production Purpose mobile suits!" Zack said.

"Everyone stop talking and just fight, concentrate!" Vincent said.

He fired another burst of missiles, just as Shinn fired his cannons. The beams and missiles flew at the Purposes. But the mobile suits managed to dodge the projectiles, returning fire with their Vulcan's. Silver Mask stood facing the leading Purpose, smirking as the mobile suit put its hands on the handle of its sabre.

"LETS GO!" Silver Mask yelled.

The Purpose flew forward, slamming its beam sabre against the Dusk's shield. Silver Mask slashed back, but the Purpose leant back and dodged the swipe. Then the suit swung its sabre horizontally at the Dusk, which ducked underneath the swing. With a roar, Silver Mask vertically swung his sword upwards. The Purpose sidestepped, swinging around and slamming its sabre into the Dusk's shield. Shinn fired his cannons at the Mercy as it swung its electric wires around.

"Impressive fire power, but you really should have gone with the speed against me" Jone said, wrapping his coils around the Impulse's chest.

Shinn yelled as electricity flowed through his suit. Vincent turned to the Mercy then flew towards it, slamming his shield into the Gundam's face. Jone widened his eyes for a moment before smirking. He smacked the Jegan with one of his coils, causing Vincent to yell in pain. But Vincent then fired his missiles at point blank range, creating an explosion that threw him and the Mercy back.

"Commander Rach!" Shinn said in shock, before moving to intercept a shot fired from the Chaos.

The Impulse blocked the beam from the Chaos's rifle, turning to the Jegan as it recovered.

"What, our men are fighting Purposes…damn how come they get all the fun?" Noah asked.

"Two of their units are missing, we might get our chance!" Kojiro said.

Nia threw aside her rifle and removed the Slash packs beam tomahawk. She spun the poleaxe around and swung it at the Abyss. Auel flew backwards, firing his chest cannon. Nia flew upwards and returned fire with her Gatling guns. The beam bubbles repeatedly hit the Abyss, but they wouldn't destroy the Gundam yet. Zack and the sniper Purpose flew past the two battling units, firing at one another with their rifles. Several funnels ganged up on Anna, shooting her legs and arms. She fired her submachine gun, cursing as the funnels darted away, leaving room for the Gaia. Luna immediately drew her beam axe and threw it at the Gaia. Stella raised her shield, cursing as the force of the axe threw her away from the Neo Raptor.

"Your welcome!" Luna said as she threw aside her beam rifle and removed the Gunner packs cannon.

"I shouldn't be getting into this situation, I should be seeing when the attacks are coming like Zack can" Anna said, lowering her head.

Zack bought his shield up, blocking a shot from a funnel and then dodging a beam from a second. He drew his beam sabre, flying between the missiles fired by the Chaos. Time seemed to slow as he utilised his Newtype senses. Two funnels came into his line of fire, and while ordinary pilots wouldn't have been able to dodge them in time Zack not only dodged them but also cut the two funnels in half. He then raised his beam sabre and slashed the Chaos's shield in half. Sting widened his eyes, drawing his beam sabre and locking blades with the Neo Raptor. The Minerva already had all of its weapons out as it followed two signals.

'They deployed a decoy but they seem to have no idea that a tracker was placed on them' Talia thought, following the signal of the tracking device.

"Ma'am, the signals changed, it seems to be heading towards us ma'am!" One of the bridge crew said.

Talia widened her eyes, outside the ship; several missiles flew towards the back of the Minerva. Neo had launched the missiles earlier, leaving them inactive as traps for the Minerva, with the tracking bullet lodged into one. The missiles slammed into the Minerva, shaking the crew on the upper levels. Captain Roanoke smirked as he launched out of the Girty Lue just as it began firing missiles and beam blasts towards the top of the Minerva.

'They were drawing us into a trap, it didn't matter whether we followed the tracer or the decoy signal we still would have fallen into their trap' Athrun thought.

The Exus broke off its Gun Barrels while the Bombard and Slaughter readied their missile launchers. Blasts from the Girty Lue slammed against the Minerva, destroying some of their guns. Darcel and Stark aimed their weapons and opened fire alongside the Exus.

"YES BURN IN A SEA OF BEAMS!" Darcel yelled, rolling his Gatling guns.

"This isn't even worthy of my skill!" Stark growled, firing his explosive rounds at the side of the Minerva.

The Minerva flew around the side of a meteor, every shot from the mobile suits pushed it towards the side of the rock.

"What the hells going on up there people?" Noah asked.

"I would judge from the sounds that we are close to being grinded against the side of a rock" Kojiro said calmly.

"DON'T SEEM SO UPSET ABOUT IT!" Branden yelled.

Darcel fired his Gatling guns above the Minerva, sending chunks of meteor rock crashing onto the hull of the ship.

"If the Minerva is in need of aid then we merely need to launch so we can draw the enemy forces away" Kojiro said.

"Rocks have landed on the catapult, they're blocking the way for our mobile suits" A mechanic said.

A sweat drop ran down the back of Kojiro's head as the others glared at him. Zack turned his back from the fighting, shooting a funnel in half with his rifle.

"Mayura!" Zack said in concern.

Vincent fired his beam rifle and unleashed a volley of missiles. The close range fighting Purpose fired its Vulcan's, intercepting the missiles and blocking the beam shots with its shields. It then ignited its beam sabres and flew straight towards the Jegan. Swinging its arms downward, the Purpose dragged its sabres against the Jegan's shield, sending the unit flying as it shield was split apart.

'These things are hitting us with so much anger, like Gekido!' Vincent thought.

Zack thrust his sabre at the Chaos, which flew back, countering with a downward slash. The Neo Raptor blocked the swipe, and then pushed the Chaos back with its foot. Silver Mask swung his sabre at the leading Purpose, which ducked underneath the slash, then delivered an upward cut towards the Dusk's shoulder. Swinging his mobile suit around, Silver Mask took out his machine gun then fired at the Purpose. The black parts of the Purpose's armour took on a gold colour as the machine gun rounds disintegrated just inches from touching the machine's armour. Silver Mask smirked, pointing his sword at the Purpose.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that was the original pilot in that machine…but then again I do know better" Silver Mask said. "What exactly are you huh?" He asked.

The Purpose lowered its sabre and looked down for a moment.

"Haven't figured out how to talk yet huh? Your just a machine aren't you, raw power with nothing to control it but a few programs" Silver Mask said, his eye narrowed at the machine.

The machine threw aside its shield and ignited another beam sabre. It raised its head, looking at the Dusk Aero Gundam. Suddenly, the Purpose's eyes changed to an intense red colour. The Purpose suddenly dashed towards the Dusk, causing Silver Mask to widen his eyes as the machine slashed his gun in two. With its arms roaring the Purpose slammed its sabres repeatedly against the Dusk's shield and sword. The Gundam linked the beams of its sabre together and slashed the Dusk across the chest. Silver Mask smirked, looking at his opponent face to face through the slit in the cockpit. Suddenly the Purpose moved to the left, flying between the Gaia and one of the Guaiz's. It stabbed its sabre into the Guaiz's cockpit just as the machine drew a sabre.

"DALE!" Luna yelled, aiming her cannon at the rampaging machine.

The beam she fired slammed into the machine, pushing it against a chunk of a relic Earth Alliance ship. It practically roared as it pushed itself against the beam, the black parts of its armour glowing a gold colour. Shinn flew to Luna's side, readying his own rail guns and cannons.

"TAKE THIS!" Shinn yelled.

The Impulse fired its weapons, linking its beams with the Zaku's. But the two pilots widened their eyes as the Purpose's armour suddenly generated a gold pulse that cancelled out their impulse beams. It then flew forward, splitting the gunner cannon in half and punching the Impulse across the head.

Captain Lee looked at the battle between the mobile suits in astonishment. Then he looked to his side as he heard a coughing sound. General Tyrant had broken his concentration and was now clutching the sides of his helmet.

"Damn it, they were only supposed to have his skill" He said. "Protecting their allies, reacting to an insult, NONE OF THEM WERE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!" He roared.

Suddenly a pair of red eyes began to glow on a machine that stood on top of the Girty Lue. Inside the Minerva, Athrun grinded his teeth together as the enemy continued their bombardment.

"We've lost Shawn and Dale's signals, Luna's Zaku has just received heavy damage from the Purpose" Meyrin explained.

Athrun looked down, taking a deep breath as several alarms ran on the ships monitors. Something needed to be done and quickly. Outside on the battlefield the Purpose punched the Impulse across the cheek, gripping the Zaku by its head. Lunamaria took deep breaths as she attempted to escape the Gundam's grip. Suddenly, an orange fist slammed into the side of the Purpose's head. Silver Mask drew his beam sword and pointing it at the Purpose as it rolled away from Luna.

"Time for round two asshole" Silver Mask said.

The Purpose Mark 2 pulled out a beam sabre and flew straight towards its opponent. They slammed their blades together, releasing sparks around them. Vincent turned to the units as they continued to throw the ZAFT mobile suits around. Silver Mask lunged his sword, but the Purpose sucked underneath the blade. Then the two machines slammed their legs together, shooting their Vulcan's at point blank range. Vincent fired his missiles, attempting to hit the stolen prototypes. But Jone easily flew between the missiles, wrapping his coils around the Jegan. Vincent yelled in pain as electricity surged through the cockpit.

"COMMANDER RACH!" Anna yelled.

The Jegan moved its arm, pulling on the electrical wire. Jone retracted the wire, firing his Vulcan's. Vincent pulled on his sticks, flying the Jegan upwards, but the bullets from the Mercy's guns shredded the left foot of the Jegan apart. Anna flew between the Jegan and the prototypes, slashing her beam sabre at the Gaia. Stella blocked the sabre and Sting jumped over the Gaia. He fired his missiles, hitting Anna's chest. She screamed as her mobile suit was thrown back. Joe locked his Katana with the Fallen's sword. He yelled, throwing the Fallen back and swinging his blade horizontally.

"Your swordsmanship ability is useless against my superior reaction time" Lucifer growled.

The Fallen slashed the Efreet across the shoulder. Then the machine spread its wings out, releasing some of its feathers.

"What have you got for us next huh?" Joe wondered.

The feathers suddenly exploded, sending shards of metal into the Efreet's hands. Joe grinded his teeth together as his katana was deactivated. The Efreet's shredded arms were useless, but that didnt stop Joe from slamming the back of his foot into the Fallen's chest.

"Ma'am, I know things seem bad right now but there's a new machine approaching from Bogey One" One of the Minerva crew said.

"Keep returning fire, get the Taunhauser ready" Talia said.

Darcel's laughing was suddenly cut short; he dropped his smile and his eyes watered as he stopped firing his guns. Stark lowered his gun as well, quivering in fear as the new mobile suit arrived. General Tyrant's eyes glowed just like this new machine as he sat beside Captain Lee from the comfort of the Girty Lue. He twitched his finger and the green and black machine raised its rifle. It fired a single blast onto the side of the Minerva, creating an explosion that knocked down the spare Zaku. Lyna Crosswind looked down the sight of her rifle, analysing the machine that bought fear to Darcel. It was a machine that stood taller than the others, with broad shoulders and grey rockets on its back. The round head had a single red eye and Nazi style helmet.

"X7O-VAR Monger, the new unit of his Lordship, the one who will bring an end to this constant repetition of war and temporary peace" Tyrant said.

The Monger had a glowing disc on the centre of its chest, surrounded by a picture of an eagle grasping a worm with its beak. Raising its rifle, the machine fired two more shots at the Minerva.

'Damn it, if this keeps up we're dead' Talia thought.

Linda put out a fire and threw the extinguisher to Youlan.

"Put out the fires and be ready for a launch, Commander Bagal we need to start moving the rocks blocking the catapults" Linda said.

"I know damn it!" Noah growled.

Again the Monger fired and again an explosion shook the Minerva. Athrun grinded his teeth together, squeezing his hand into a fist before he looked towards the captain.

"Fire all your starboard side weapons and thrusters, use the force of the shockwave to steer the ship away from the asteroid" Athrun began.

Talia turned to Athrun with a mixture of confusion and an a scowl across her face.

"Then fire your main positron cannon, also have the Murasama fire its impulse beam at the rocks blocking one of the catapults" Athrun explained.

"But we'll take damage from the explosion as well" Arthur said.

"Wait captain, do as he suggests" Durandal said.

Talia put a hand to her chin as more of the ship alarms began to blare.

"Meyrin, relay the orders to the crew, have them brace themselves and have the Murasama pilot be ready to blow away those rocks" She explained.

She narrowed her eyes as the Monger lifted up its rifle. Suddenly a beam flew from beyond space, hitting the Monger's rifle. Tyrant widened his eyes while Lyna turned her sniper scope towards where the blast had come from. She narrowed her eyes at the target, but a second shot blasted off her scope.

"Damn it" she said.

While ZAFT and the Girty Lue continued their devastating battle, further into the debris belt Mongers in both appearance and nature were bringing their plans into action. A black and purple High Manoeuvre type 2 GINN looked over the adjustments being made to a demolition charge. Beside it was a similar mobile suit to the one Tyrant controlled. Its armour was a black and grey colour, with a V-fin on the head; and massive rockets on its back. Stamped to its left shoulder was its production number the X71-GRNT Monger. It carried a shield with a cross at the tip and an assault rifle based on an old AK-74. Another Monger unit was overseeing a group of other High Manoeuvre type GINN's, strapping on demolition charges to their target.

"Almost done!" Said the leading GINN pilot, wearing an old green ZAFT suit, a scar stamped across his face.

But the Monger pilot remained silent; standing in a cockpit that had no controls. He and the other pilot wore grey suits with black wrist and shin guards. A black diamond shaped visor was on their helmets. When they turned their heads, the Mongers looked in the direction their pilot's eyes were facing. An Earth Alliance Agamemnon Class flew towards the area.

"Captain shouldn't this be ZAFT's job to check?" The communication officer asked.

"Maybe, but I don't trust ZAFT, never have never will and that whole alliance that was formed because of Gekido wouldn't have lasted past Jachin, in fact we all know it didn't" The Captain said, laughing as he sipped from his water container.

The bearded Captain got off his chair and floated to one of the radar operatives. He looked over the young man's shoulder, pointing at several blips representing heat signatures.

"Its way too hot for it to be debris, I'm thinking explosives, send the pilots out to investigate" He said.

"But sir, most of them are fresh out of the academy, what if they're attacked?" The XO asked.

"Commander Magnus is with them, he's a veteran of the last war, besides I have no interest in having Gekido Jaeger worshippers remain on my ship" The Captain growled, leaning back on his chair.

In the hanger bay, four pilots floated to their machines. The Commander of the unit mounted an old Dagger while the other three got into three Dagger L's. A black haired pilot with grey streaks in his hair flawlessly moved his Dagger towards the launch catapult.

"Damn it Hunter, what the hell are you doing?" The Commander asked.

"Getting ready to launch!"

"Oh is that a matter of fact huh? The commanding officer is always the first person onto the battlefield, when you're in charge you can go on ahead half cocked but so long as your ranked under me you'll do as I say" Magnus explained, his hairless brows twitching as he spoke.

Magnus was an intimidating man in terms of his physical appearance. He hadn't had the burns across his face healed, and in contrast to the captain he had quite a respectable reputation amongst the rookies. Beside Hunter's unit was a younger boy wearing glasses along with the standard Earth Alliance uniform.

"Come on Simon lets do what he says" The boy said.

"You know Michael if you want to be like Gekido you'll need to fight the authorities from time to time" Simon said as he stepped backwards.

Magnus got onto the launch catapult, shouldering a recoilless cannon as the mechanics prepared his suit for launch.

"Damn it, just a simple investigation I was hoping we'd get to see some action" Said another Dagger pilot.

"I hope your joking Jenkins, the last thing we need is another fight" Simon said.

"Cut the chatter and get ready for launch!" Magnus growled before he flew out of the ship.

Simon, Jenkins and Michael launched after the commander, flying behind his mobile suit as it rushed past the pieces of junk and rocks. Michael widened his eyes as he saw a body float past his suit. Simon lowered his head, feeling as if they were intruding on the dead.

"Is that an island?" Jenkins asked, stopping to look at a chunk of rotting greenery.

"Remember where we are Jenkins, remember that we were the ones that caused this" Simon said.

"Junius Seven!" Michael whispered.

Magnus narrowed his eyes as he looked through the pieces of debris. He saw the GINN's prepping the demolition charges.

"Those bastards!" He growled.

"Sir we've just detected another heat source approaching from above sir!" One of the bridge crewmembers said.

"What, why didn't we see it until now?" The Captain asked.

"He was using debris to mask his appearance"

"ALL HANDS LEVEL ONE BATTLE…"

But the captain's words were cut short as the Second Monger unit slammed into the bridge, crushing it with its knee. Michael and Jenkins widened their eyes in shock as they looked at the mobile suit continually stomping the ship. Then it turned its glowing eye towards them.

"Oh god!" Michael whimpered.

The Monger then rushed towards the two mobile suits as they wildly fired their beam rifles. It easily dodged the beams, raising its glowing fist. With a swing of his arm, the pilot crashed the Monger's fist into the Dagger L's cockpit, crushing Michael. Then it grabbed the Dagger L's foot and slammed it into Jenkin's machine. Simon turned towards the machine, widening his eyes as he watched the mobile suit grab the Dagger L's arms and feet.

"JENKINS EJECT NOW!" Simon yelled.

The Monger tore the Dagger L apart and moved forward, igniting a yellow beam dagger. Magnus widened his eyes as the second Monger unit targeted him with its assault rifle.

"Those bastards, they're planning on desecrating Junius Seven!" Magnus growled.

Simon kept his guard up as the Monger threw its sabre between its hands, then span the sword around with its fingers.

"That movement, the pilots are Cyber Psyches!" Simon said.

"What the hell are Cyber Psyches?" Magnus asked.

"Artificial life forms created to interface with a mobile suit and control it with thoughts of movements of their own body, two were created, ones dead and the other…" Simon closed his eyes for a moment before he turned to the battle. "Is someone you don't need to fear Commander…lets stop these bastards from desecrating this graveyard!"

On that day everyone fought against warmongers. The crew of the Minerva braced themselves as the Murasama moved towards the catapult.

"NOW FIRE!" Talia yelled.

The starboard side weapons fired against the meteor and the resulting explosion threw the Minerva to the side. Branden yelled as the Murasama fired its chest cannon just as the Minerva fired its Taunhauser.

"LEE HARD TO PORT NOW!" Neo yelled.

The impulse beam tore through the rocks, allowing the Kenshin and Zaku Phantom to launch. Rey threw his beam axe towards the Slaughter while Kojiro held out his staff. A pink beam was launched out of the end of the staff, cutting the Bombards head off. Rey's beam axe slashed the barrels of the Slaughter's Gatling guns apart.

"BASTARDS I LIKED THOSE GUNS!" Darcel yelled.

"I'm not so easy!" Tyrant growled.

The Monger aimed its rifle at the machines, but a third blast from space shot off its left arm. Tyrant's hands quivered before the Monger turned and flew back towards the Girty Lue. Silver Mask yelled, batting the Purpose's sabre aside. With another roar he slashed the Purpose across the head. It kicked the Dusk aside, clutching its head. Electricity sparked out of the small cut that ran diagonally between its eyes.

"Damn it, we had the ropes and now they're back in the game!" Neo said.

Rey's Zaku suddenly flew behind the Exus, firing its beam rifle. Neo flew at top speed, grinding his teeth together as the beams destroyed his gun barrels and clipped the side of his mobile armour.

"All forces retreat now!"

The Kenshin and Zaku lined up, firing Vulcan's and beam rifle respectively at the retreating enemy forces. Silver Mask deactivated his sword as the Purpose did the same with its sabre. As the other machines flew away, the leading Purpose reattached its funnels to its shoulder and pointed a finger at the Dusk. It then pointed its thumb downwards, causing Silver Mask to chuckle.

"A robot with personality, too bad you've haven't got a voice yet" he said.

Neo's Exus flew at top speed into the Girty Lue, the landing straps barely stopping it from slamming into the wall.

"LEE RETREAT NOW!" The masked man yelled.

The Girty Lue, damaged from its encounter began its retreat, with the Minerva continuing to fire blasts from the Taunnhauser. Talia sighed as she gave the command to ceasefire. Tired and damaged from the battle, the pilots returned to the Minerva just as a communication came in from outside of the battlefield.

"Unidentified ZAFT ship, we have received communications from Chairwoman Alster, per her instructions we have come to provide assistance in your pursuit of Bogey One" The Captain of a base class ship said.

"About time they got here!" Branden growled, helping Shinn to carry Vincent's Jegan back onto the Minerva.

"We've already lost four of our pilots" Shinn said.

"We welcome any assistance you can offer" Talia said.

Just then two faces appeared on the screen of the Minerva's bridge. One was a black haired man wearing a brown and black military uniform and the other was a black haired woman wearing a white Sensou uniform and an EA style hat.

"Captain First Class Bright Noa of the B class carrier White Base, we're here to provide you with assistance in repairs" The man said.

"Captain First Class Natarle Badgiruel of the B class carrier Justifier, we will continue the search for Bogey One!"

Vincent leant back in his seat, sighing as opened his visor and rubbed his eyes. He had to suppress a chuckle as he remembered Gekido's words on Natarle.

_Too much military protocol floating around in her head and a military stick so far up her ass that she cant sit down without yelling out some kind of order or moaning about protocol. I can't stand sitting in the same room as he but on the battlefield I'll tell you now she's a far better captain than Murrue Ramias. Not that I'm saying I would have preferred her over Murrue, after all if Badgiruel was in charge I wouldn't have gotten away with anything. If you've got a target to catch then she's the captain to catch it!_

Next Chapter 6: Hidden amongst the graveyard

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Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, brownie points to anyone who can guess who Simon is. Next chapter we take a break from the ZAFT side of things and look at the EA as Simon and MAgnus not only try to prevent the fall of Junius but discover something amongst its ruins


	7. Hidden amongst the graveyard

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Here it is, a break from ZAFT and a look at the EA side of things and a look back at the short life of CY/ Simon

If you dont know who CY is then you didnt read the last fic hard enough, so here's a recap, Cy was a Cyber Psyche rescued by Gekido during his revealing confrontation with Uragiri

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Gundam Seed Destiny Or Liberty?

Chapter 6: Hidden amongst the graveyard

Two years earlier

He stood on the hilltop, wind rushing through his raven hair, rain pelting his shoulders. His eyes had remained fixed on the cracked and shattered helmet of a man who saved him from enslavement. The cold night wind swept his tears aside, the first tears he had ever shed. For two months he had been alive, pulled from the chamber of a science lab. At one time he had been called Cy, but not people called him Simon. He took a deep breath, squeezing his hand into a fist as he wiped his eyes. The rain stopped and the clouds cleared the way for the suns shine. In the distance, Simon began the hear the sounds of a woman's voice. The pitch wasn't high, nor was it low: just loud enough for Simon to hear. Her voice: calming, soothing, inspiring and beautiful at the same time, but her beautiful voice had a beautiful face to match.

Yet that image was shattered by what Simon saw now. Lacus Clyne was a broken woman, sniffing as tears fell down her face. The rain had drenched her pink hair and green dress. She shivered and blood from a cut she got from the rocks flowed into a small pool that crabs had taken refuge in. Simon stepped over the jagged rocks and sand, paying little attention to the crabs crawling over his soaked shoes. He placed a hand on Lacus's bare shoulder. She looked up at him, a smile crossing her face.

"Gekido!" She whispered.

"Lacus…I'm sorry but its me Cy" Simon said.

She held his hand, picking herself up off the floor. He draped his coat over her shoulders and walked home with her. Reverend Malchio was praying with the children while Caridad Yamato was cooking with Murrue Ramias and Andrew Waltfeld. The children looked at Lacus and widened their eyes as they saw the cut across her leg. Getting up off the floor they rushed over the girl, crowding around her like the fans she left behind in the Plants.

"Miss Lacus did you get hurt?"

"You didn't get a cold did you Lacus?"

Simon smiled at the children as they dragged Lacus to the bathroom; intending to clean and dress her wounds. They were an intelligent group and eager to please Lacus; she had been the one to teach them about first aid. It was one of the only activities that bought a smile to her face lately. The door opened behind Simon and Kira Yamato walked into the hut.

"Kira!" The children squealed, rushing over the boy's legs.

"Hey guys, hi Cy!" Kira said.

"Please Kira, call me Simon, Cy doesn't look good on the passport, that is when I get the passport" Simon said, shaking Kira's hand.

"Was Lacus outside again?" Kira asked.

Simon nodded his head.

"You have your good days and bad days but you never get over the death of a loved one" Murrue said.

Andy nodded his head, pouring a few cups of coffee. Both of them had lost their lovers in the war. So they were the only ones whom could understand what Lacus was feeling.

"She thought I was him!" Simon said.

"What, but why?" Kira asked.

Andy chuckled, sipping his coffee and carrying a tray with two cups for Kira and Simon. They took the coffees, and Simon nervously stirred the sugar cubes around, dreading Andy's answer to Kira's question.

"You haven't noticed it have you Kira, it took me a while to see too" Andy grinned.

"I noticed it the first moment I met him" Murrue said.

"Well women are better observers" Caridad smiled.

"Hey mom, so what have you guys noticed?" Kira asked.

"Simon here…he resembles Gekido" Andy said.

The tiger smirked as Kira stared at Simon, comparing the mental image he had of Gekido.

"Though they aren't identical you could mistake them for brothers!" Murrue pointed out.

"Brothers…I suppose that makes sense" Simon muttered, looking in the mirror.

They had the same eyes and similar chins. Simon's hair was also beginning to develop grey/silver streaks. His wild hair was looking like Gekido's more and more.

"I can see it now, but what were you doing by the beach Simon, why don't you come live with us we've got the room!" Kira said.

Simon shook his head, turning away from the mirror and rubbing his eyes.

"I've…got to find my own way, something that Gekido would respect…I've decided what kind of passport I want" Simon said.

"I can get on the phone to Sai, what last name did you want?" Kira asked.

"Hunter, Simon Hunter…that's who I've chosen to be!"

With American citizen ship, Simon had begun in Germany, taking part in a technical course involving mobile suit mechanics. There he saw early concepts for upgraded grunt mobile suits. Much later he applied to work as a maintenance worker in a German airline. It was a part time job but it paid his way, filling an account he had been given by Tachi. Enough for a low class plane and hotel accommodations he would have at Washington. He had bought a notebook from customs, one he would use as his journal for his life.

'Gekido…I hope you can be proud of this path I've chosen' Simon thought.

His ears twitched as he heard someone singing behind him. For a moment he could have sworn he had heard Lacus. Leaning over his seat, Simon looked behind his chair. It wasn't Lacus, but a thinner young woman with dull hair, her eyes closed as she listened to a song on her music player. She stopped singing and smiled up at Simon.

"Sorry, I kind of get carried away!" She said.

Simon widened his eyes in astonishment, the girl sounded exactly like Lacus.

"I'm sorry, its just someone I knew" Simon said.

"Oh yeah Lacus Clyne, I get that a lot" The girl said.

"If I had my eyes closed I could have sworn I heard Lacus singing"

"She's such an inspiration for me, especially with what she did in the war, I'm Meer, Meer Campbell"

"Simon Hunter, nice to meet you Meer, what brings you to Washington?" Simon asked.

"Looking for someone to recognise my talent, what about you?"

"I'm joining the Earth Alliance military"

"Let me guess, pilot!"

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"I noticed you glaring when the hostess left the cockpit with two beer bottles, a friend of mine would get a similar look when he'd see that, he'd always say "the one thing you should never do in flying is drinking" Meer explained.

"Wise words, nice talking to you Meer, make sure you get famous okay…it'll give me something to rub in peoples faces, "I talked to Meer Campbell on a plane before she was famous""

Meer giggled, putting a smile on Simon's face as he sat back down. He put his pen to the paper, already knowing what the first entry of his life would be about. When Simon arrived at Washington he applied for membership into the Earth Alliance military. He spent his days at boot camp training and taking exams. After a year he passed the exams and basic training and got a post in Cambodia as a test pilot. Then he moved onto coastal work, piloting a Jet Dagger on routine patrols. Though his career wasn't spectacular he was eventually reposted to a position on a battleship. Then he launched to investigate a disturbance in Junius Seven.

Now he was floating amongst the debris of his ship, looking at the machine that had destroyed his colleagues. Magnus dashed past the Dagger L, firing his beam rifle at the Monger pursuing him. Simon flew backwards, blocking a slash from the second Monger. The Monger twisted its sabre round, trying to stab it past Simon's shield. But Simon's eyes flashed and the Dagger suddenly kicked the Monger's hand, knocking the beam sabre into space.

"You're going to have to work to beat me" Simon growled.

He fired his beam carbine, hitting the Monger's shield as it kept on flying towards him. Both the Dagger L and the Dagger remained on the defence as the two Mongers sped towards them. The Monger with the assault rifle kept on firing automatic bursts at the Dagger. Magnus flew in circles, dodging the bubbles flying from the Monger's rifle. He flew through a hole in the wreckage of a Laurasia ship, pointing his rifle at a group of the High Manoeuvre type GINN's.

"There wasn't supposed to be interference" One of the pilots said.

"Forget them" Said the commander.

"But Sato we cant afford to fail"

"That's why those two freaks in the suits are here, to help us if something unexpected comes" Sato growled.

He suddenly flipped around, firing his beam rifle. The beam slammed into the Dagger's shoulder, disconnecting the left arm from the body.

"Shit!" Magnus said.

He bought his shield up as a volley of beams flew at his machine. The Monger fired its rifle then clipped the gun to its waist. It reached for a sabre hilt that slid out of its left wrist. Magnus fired his Vulcan's, but the Monger used its beam sabre as a shield to burn the bullets. But instead of running the mobile suit through, the Monger slammed its foot into the Dagger's head, sending it crashing towards the top of Junius Seven. Magnus yelled as the force of the crash cracked his main view screen and damaged the lenses of his Dagger's visor. He looked up at the GINN's; if his eyes were guns he would have pierced the cockpits.

"You bastards, you would destroy the grave yard of your own people" Magnus said.

Simon continued to fire his carbine at the pursuing Monger. He flew over pieces of debris, using the same tactic Magnus used to shake his pursuer off. The Dagger L threw aside its carbine and drew a sabre as it approached the other Monger unit.

"We cant let it fall, I CANT LET YOU DO IT!" Simon yelled.

He slammed his sabre against the Monger's, sending sparks flying through the space. With a yell he swung his sabre into the Monger's shield, knocking it back slightly. Magnus flew upwards, firing his Vulcan's at the Monger flying behind Simon.

"Like I'll let you kill one more soldier of mine" Magnus growled.

He drew a beam sabre, trying to slash the Monger. But the Monger grabbed the Dagger's wrist. Magnus let out a roar as he fired his Vulcan's into the Monger's head, throwing the machine backwards. Simon swung his sabre at the Monger, but the Cyber Psyche inside ducked, causing the machine to duck underneath the sabre. Then he flipped, commanding the Monger to flip kick the Dagger L so hard that its visor cracked.

"Damn it!" Simon grunted.

"SURPRISE!" Magnus yelled.

The Dagger slammed into the side of the Monger, flying into the other Monger. Magnus steered his mobile suit towards the side of the colony, opening his cockpit as well.

"Simon, destroy those charges no matter what!" He ordered before jumping out of the suit.

He watched as the suit dragged the two Mongers across Junius Seven. Then he ignited the rockets on his suits back and flew to the surface of the colony. Simon threw his shield aside and drew both his beam sabres as he flew towards the charges. Suddenly, the High manoeuvre Type GINN's flew out of their hiding places, firing at the Dagger L. Sato drew his Katana, yelling as he flew straight towards the Dagger L.

"I WONT LET YOU!" Santo and Simon yelled at one another.

They slammed their blades together crashing through debris and chunks of ice. Bodies batted off of Santo's shield as he bought it up to block Simon's left sabre. Simon fired his Vulcan's, ripping apart a mass of bodies that floated past Santo's GINN. Santo yelled, slamming his katana against Simon's sabres. He grunted with every swing of his blade.

"I don't understand, why would you want to destroy this memorial, to desecrate the memories of those who died!" Simon said.

Grinding their blades together, the two mobile suits shoved one another. Sato quickly recovered and slashed Simon's Dagger across the left shoulder.

"The memories of those who died here have already been desecrated, Lacus Clyne has weakened ZAFT and has spat on those who died!" Sato growled.

"How can you say that? What logic is that? It's twisted, your twisted!"

Simon slammed grinded his sabres against the GINN's shield and sword, igniting his rockets. At the same time Santo activated his own rockets, pushing against the Dagger.

"If I am twisted it's because of Lacus Clyne, and the weak fools who decided to live in peace with the bastards who caused this catastrophe"

"Your willing to judge everyone because of what a few people did, a few people who aren't even alive to hate, how can you say your honouring the dead, how can you say that your fighting injustice, your not a soldier, you do this you'll just be another murderer, a murderer who killed billions…AND FOR WHAT!"

"TO CHANGE THE ENTIRE WORLD!" Santo yelled.

Santo swung his Katana downwards, slicing off the Dagger L's left arm. Simon widened his eyes as another GINN swooped downwards.

"NO!" Simon yelled.

He swung the Dagger around as the GINN plunged its Katana into the Dagger's back. Simon immediately opened his cockpit and jumped out of the suit. The Dagger L exploded and the shockwave sent Simon rolling away from the mobile suits.

"Damn it, damn it! DAMN IT!" Simon yelled as he rolled across the surface of Junius Seven.

Simon groaned in pain, getting up off the chalk white floor. He looked around and blinked as a pink paper bird floated past him. Rubbing his sore arm he began walking across the surface of the colony. His radio squawked and Magnus's voice came through from the other side.

"Simon, I saw your mobile suit explode, damn it I told you to take out those charges, if I was the commander I'd be detonating them right this second" Magnus explained.

"I know, but I'm sure Alliance brass will have plans for breaking the colony up" Simon said as he walked into a tunnel of some kind.

"Not a chance in hell, those bastards couldn't organise a piss up in a whorehouse"

Simon shivered as a body floated past him. With every step he took his stomach turned. The people he worked with had caused this event and the victims that were left had been driven insane from the fallout. He could never hate people for grieving, but these people were well beyond grieving.

"Simon I'm on my way to your position now" Magnus said.

"Okay, make sure they don't see you, there's no telling what these people might do" Simon said.

He floated deeper into the cavern, raising his hand as he tried to block out the sight of a bright light. When the light stopped, Simon widened his eyes in shock at what he saw.

"My god!" Simon whispered.

"What did you find Simon?" Magnus asked.

But Simon was left speechless as he looked up at the machine standing before him. It was crouched, but the cavern was big enough the cover it at full height. The helmet was simple enough with a Gold V-fin and simple shaped armour that didn't bare any decorations. Its "face" was the standard two eyes and "mouth" shapes of a Gundam. On the machines left shoulder was the serial number and name T7X-Liberty. The Gundam's rocket pack was simple, with the handle for a beam sword on the top of it. Both of its arms had more armour stretching outwards past the elbows and Simon knew that they must have been used for hiding weapons.

"Shit, Simon those new suits saw me!" Magnus said.

His breathing was heavy across the radio, so Simon naturally guessed that his commander was running. He floated down the cavern, widening his eyes as he looked across the field. Magnus was jumping and rushing across the field as fast as he could. Paper birds bounced off of his body as he got closer and closer towards the cavern.

"COME ON MAGNUS YOU CAN MAKE IT!" Simon yelled.

Above the colony, the two Mongers watched the scene. One aimed its rifle and unleashed a volley of beams. Simon widened his eyes and time stopped for him. Rocks and debris were thrown off of the colony, the dust forming behind Magnus. Pieces of the colony flew past Magnus, shredding pieces of his space suit. Then the explosions from the charges shook the colony itself as it began to move away from its stable orbit.

"Fall…fall so that this world can change!" Santo whispered.

"Yo, do you think we should be bothered about all this?" One of the Cyber Psyche's asked his comrade.

"Nah, those idiots are merely fools, pathetic beings whose existences will be cursed when they are gone, Earth will survive, lets just do what his lordship told us and enjoy the show" The Monger pilot said before he began flying towards the cavern.

Magnus floated into the cavern, a crack running across his helmet as he flew into Simon's arms.

"Commander!" Simon whispered.

Magnus coughed and blood came out of his mouth as his visor continued to crack.

"Damn it…my daughter had a wedding next week, I wasn't supposed to be here…damn those weaklings who cant let go of their guns, I wasn't supposed to go like this" Magnus growled.

"COMMANDER!" Simon yelled.

"I wanted…to hold…my grandchild" The commander said weakly.

What little air Magnus's suit had began to leak from the cracks and cuts on the suit. His breathing quickened as he gasped for air. Simon closed his eyes, grinding his teeth together as he gripped Magnus's hand. He reached for the pistol in the mans holster, pressing it against Magnus's chest. The older man didn't fight, but continued to squeeze Simon's hand tightly as his blood and tears crystallised. Nothing could be heard in space, not even the bang of the gun and Simon's yell. He let tears fall from his eyes, floating onto the visor of his helmet as he crossed Magnus's hands together.

"I'm sorry Magnus, Michael, Jenkins…Gekido, give me some of your rage" Simon growled as he looked up at the Liberty Gundam.

He kicked off of the ground and floated towards the machines cockpit. As if destiny itself had bought them together the machine opened itself to its new pilot. The cockpit was one for the future, giving a full 360-degree view of the world for the pilot to see. Simon sat himself on the seat, and clips attached themselves to his shoulders, arms and legs. More controls began to fold out of the wall while holographic touch pads appeared over the screen. The cockpit closed and Simon removed his helmet, artificial air filling his lungs. He moved his hand, touching one of the buttons on the pad.

"Welcome pilot, this is your combat AI speaking, please designate me with a name" A sharp voice spoke through the cockpit.

"Magnus, you'll be Magnus!" Simon said.

"Very well, I accept this designation, preparing launch sequence, detecting heat signatures approaching our position, activating trans phase shift armour.

The machine seemed to light up the cavern as its eyes glowed a green colour, revealing its armour. Multiple shades of grey covered the machine while red seams ran across its legs and chest. Two pads on its chest were blue while the areas around the green eyes were also a blue colour. Its hands were a gold and the joints on its elbow and knees were also gold.

"CY Jaeger, LAUNCHING!" Simon yelled.

The Liberty ignited its rockets and flew forward. When the Monger pilot looked into the cavern, he widened his eyes in shock.

"BASTARD!" Simon roared.

He slammed into the Monger, dragging it across the colony. Then the Liberty flew upwards, stopping between the group of GINN's. Simon grinded his teeth together as the Liberty reached for its sword hilt. When it pulled the hilt out it ignited a flaming red beam sword. The Liberty deepened the glow in its eyes, matching the anger in Simon's heart.

Far away from the battlefield, ZAFT received news of the falling colony.

Next Chapter 7: Confrontations

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And thus Simon follows in the footsteps of his "brother" Gekido and bears his own Gundam. Next chapter will be back to ZAFT but with a break from the fighting as the crew of the Minerva and Sensou come to terms with the gravity of their situation as they move to the falling Junius Seven. Shinn's classic outbursts and the moment some people have waited for, we discover what Vincent had done a year ago and Shinn discovers that Vincent was the pilot of the Strike Dagger

So until then read and review!, Thank you


	8. Confrontations

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

This one took some thinking, I went through some concepts on what would get people hating Vincent, but I finally settled on this one

So enjoy!

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Gundam Seed Destiny Or Liberty?

Chapter 7: Confrontations

Repairs to the Minerva would take a while, that much the staff knew before they began work on the ship. Captain Noa had several teams put on the Minerva to assist with repairs. Mechanics wearing space work were working on the exterior damages while the Minerva's regular crew was working on the inside. Meyrin floated into the elevator as the pilots began to get out of their machines. She couldn't wait to tell her friends about what Athrun Zala had done. Zack shoved his flight suit back into his bag, floating to Shinn and Branden, both of whom were outside of Vincent's cockpit.

"What's up?" Zack asked.

"Another flashback!" Branden sighed.

"What's that?" Shinn asked.

"None of your business Zaftie, run back along to your friends" Branden said.

"Hey, I'm just a little worried about the commander all right" Shinn said, moving his face towards Branden.

Kojiro pulled his helmet off, looking at the scene as Luna and Rey floated behind Shinn. A few of the Sensou mechanics began to work on the Jegan as the cockpit began to open.

"He doesn't need a rookie looking out for him all right, he can look after himself" Branden said.

"Evident from the way he conducted himself in battle" Zack smirked.

"Up yours Zack you cant leave Sensou and expect to know what the guy went through" Branden growled.

"What happened a year ago…I can't entirely agree with it but I can see that the Commander isn't the kind of guy to just do something without a regret" Shinn pointed out.

"But Shinn what he did was unethical, something no other military organisation would have done so openly, and he was never prosecuted for it so…" Luna put her hand to her mouth as Vincent floated out of the Jegan.

He removed his helmet, rubbing his eyes as he stopped in front of Luna and Rey.

"I'm sorry about those Guaiz pilots…could you tell me their names?" Vincent asked.

Luna widened her eyes in shock, unable to speak with the man so close to her. Rey sighed, saluting the commander before he floated away.

"Shawn, Dale, Kevin and Neil" Luna said.

"Thank you" Vincent whispered. "I'll remember them too" He muttered as he floated past Luna.

Branden lowered his head while Shinn blinked in confusion. When Vincent reached his locker he grinded his teeth together. Joe and Rey stopped midway through removing their flight suit as they heard Vincent groan. He pulled his fist back and slammed it into the locker.

"Damn it!" He said, shaking his head, his hair hanging over his eyes. "I've seen men die, most of the time they've been right next to me, most of the time I could have done something to save them…so I learn the name, and the face if possible so that I can remind myself that I failed…I know too many names, I remember too many faces, too many failures…DAMN IT!" Vincent yelled, slamming his fist against the locker again.

Rey and Joe looked at the man's back for a moment before he began unzipping his suit. They went back to their own duties, something that all soldiers had to do when they lost a comrade. In the girls changing room, Anna looked at the other women around her, shifting uncomfortably at their figures.

"Hurry it up Anna or you'll fall behind" Mayura smiled, patting Anna on the back.

"Sorry Mayura" Anna squeaked.

"Hell Luna's changing faster than you and she was talking to Vincent all that time"

"You know he isn't what I expected, what do you think of him Nia?" Luna asked.

"I don't give a shit!" Nia muttered.

"Watch your language Ensign, and Hawke, for your information the reputations of aces are rarely true…my own commander hardly lives up to the nicknames he is given, he and others like him and merely effective and battle hardened soldiers, Commander Rach is no different" Linda explained, buttoning up her collar before she closed her locker.

"He used to be such a nice guy, I don't know what happened a year ago but I really miss seeing him smile like he used to in the old days" Mayura said.

"You mean you don't know, Commander Rach…"

"Lunamaria enough, if Miss Labatt wants to know then she can find out by asking the man himself" Linda said, walking out of the room with Nia following behind her.

Branden and Kojiro had changed back into their uniforms and were now floating towards the Minerva's mess hall. They remained casually silent, content with one another's company. Of course they didn't have much to talk about until they reached the hall. Athrun was sitting by himself, looking at the floor. He was lost in a deep thought, remembering the countless battles he had fought. Rusty was killed right in front of him, Nichol had been ripped apart after trying to protect him and Miguel had died before finding out what ZAFT's true goals had been. But during those times, Athrun had the power to fight; now he was just another civilian.

Athrun rubbed his eyes, cursing his inaction in the battle that had taken place. Kojiro watched him from a distance while Branden walked to the vending machines. He rubbed his chin as he looked at the selection: orange soda, coke, lemonade, coffee and an assortment of energy drinks he had never heard of. The Middle Eastern teen rubbed his hair, hair that he had let grow to his neck after he had left the Earth Alliance. He hadn't gotten used to being on a ZAFT ship, and considering his dislike for coordinators he would be a difficult adjustment. But Vincent had still given him orders, and Branden respected Vincent enough to at least not cause "too much" trouble.

Kojiro on the other hand didn't particularly mind. He was a soldier with orders to follow, plus it gave him a break from fighting and the opportunity to read. What he was reading was something he often kept to himself. Educational books about psychology, philosophy and comedy; including biographies of famous twenty first century comedians. The results of his studies were mixed.

Noah Bagal kept his hands in his pockets as he walked down the corridors of the ship. He scowled at the pilots and other staff members that saluted him, causing them to drop their hands as they scurried away. Ahead he saw Linda speaking with Cagalli and Flay.

"Where's the captain?" Noah asked.

"In her room, the Chairman also followed" Flay giggled.

"Wait a minute…chairman Durandal and Linda's sister, did you know about this Linda?"

"Whom my sister dates is no concern of mine commander" Linda said.

"Maybe you should talk with her…when it's a good opportunity of course"

"Maybe you should mind your own business" Linda said as she walked away.

Noah sighed, leaning his head against his arms.

"Touchy subject I see" Cagalli said.

"As touchy as saying that Vincent did the right thing a year ago" Noah muttered.

"But he didn't!" Cagalli snipped.

"Um Commander Bagal I think it would be a good idea if you left it alone" Flay said.

"No I'm really interested in hearing Commander Bagal's opinion" Cagalli put her hands to her hips as he awaited Noah's response.

"I don't have time for a debate Princess, I need to get something to eat" Noah growled as he walked past them.

"Cagalli, please don't start something, Vincent's having a tough enough time as it is" Flay said.

"Flay how could you stay with Sensou after what they had done a year ago?" Cagalli asked.

"It wasn't Sensou, it was Vincent and to this day Vincent punishes himself for what he had done, for what he had been forced to do, one day you as a leader might be forced to do something you don't like for the sake of the people you must protect, maybe you'll hate yourself for it or maybe you wont regret it, but sometimes the smallest evil can save the most lives" Flay explained.

Cagalli narrowed her eyes at Flay, her brother's girlfriend. Once she believed they could be friends. Now it seemed that their differences were irreconcilable. She walked away from Flay, intending to find Athrun.

Joe Daigoji overlooked the repairs to the mobile suits. He had to admit the Sensou mechanics knew their stuff, but the Minerva's crew wasn't so bad either. If he didn't know better he would have assumed they had years of experience. Vino and Youlan were good kids though they talked a little too much. The Sensou engineering corps also had some young and innocent rookies. One such mechanic was Donald Willis, the brown haired mechanic that had defended Vincent when Vino and Youlan had started speculating about what he had done a year ago. The young man smiled as another Sensou team floated into the hanger. Leading the team was a girl wearing a white and purple flight suit.

"DON!" she yelled.

"NENA!" Donald yelled.

The girl threw off her helmet, revealing her long red hair and freckled face. Nena Trinity wrapped her hands around Don, smiling as they floated onto the Jegan's leg. Joe looked at the scene, judging from the girl's expression and passion she was Don's girlfriend.

'It makes sense that the people of Sensou would grow close to one another' Joe thought.

His eyes drifted away from the scene and fixed onto the back of the mysterious Silver Mask. He floated into the elevator, going upwards towards the crew decks. Joe then looked at the Dusk Aero. The machine's eyes glowed a red colour before they faded.

'It seems our masked mans machine is just as strange as the pilot' Joe thought.

Meyrin had just gotten off duty when Arthur had begun his talk with the White Base's captain. From Meyrin had read Bright Noa had been in the Earth Alliance, but had left when Gekido Jaeger disappeared behind ZAFT's lines. Bright's clean-shaven face was on the Minerva's main screen. He wore a customised uniform, a brown jacket with black parts on the shoulders and the collar. Yellow markings on the collar also indicated his status as a captain first class, a rank given to Sensou captains that were a cut above the rest. And it was clear that Bright was a no nonsense captain as he spoke to Arthur.

"Where is your captain Mr Trine?" Bright asked.

"She is currently indisposed Captain Noa, I will be happy to deal with any concerns you have" Arthur said.

"What is the physical condition of the Commander and the Chairwoman?"

"Flay Alster is fine Captain, she was remarkably calm in the prior fire fight, as for the commander I'm afraid I haven't spoken more than two words to him"

"So you have no idea how our top ranked combat operative is doing? I suggest you find him and allow me to speak with him"

Meyrin did her best to hide a giggle as Arthur trembled under the sound of Noa's voice. There was one thing that Bright Noa was infamous for, his extreme military discipline; one that he had slapped into his crew. The younger Hawke left the bridge and floated to meet her sister and friends. Luna had just finished changing and left the locker room with a rather distraught Mayura.

"I can't believe him" She said.

Anna kept her hands to her chest as Mayura floated into Zack's arms.

"Mayura what's wrong?" Zack asked, touching a tear on Mayura's cheek.

"Vincent…he, he forgot everything that Gekido fought for"

Mayura buried her head into Zack's chest and Zack couldn't help but shed a tear as he felt his lover's sadness. Luna had a heavy look across her face as she floated to Meyrin. One thing that Meyrin was good at besides communication was research. She had looked over the files of Athrun Zala, reading about his exploits during the war. Luna had seen pictures of Athrun and had heard of his reputation from others, but hadn't actually looked into much of his background.

"So he saved the ship?" Luna asked, after Meyrin had told her, Rey and Shinn of what had happened on the bridge.

"Yeah, he just spat out a strategy as we were getting hit, after the Chairman called him Athrun" Meyrin said.

"So he really is Athrun Zala"

"You can't blame him for changing his name, I mean after everything that happened to him that is"

Rey and Shinn merely stood at the back as they walked towards the mess hall. The sisters were talking about Athrun, speculating like a pair of schoolgirls. Shinn had no idea whether this "Alex" was really Athrun Zala, but what he did know was that the man followed Athha, the family that ruined his life. Rey paid no real attention to the conversation. He already knew that Athrun Zala was on the ship; after all he was a part of the chairman's plans as well.

"What…listen Meyrin whatever his reasons he's still" But Luna cut off her speech whilst Meyrin put her hands to her mouth.

"Alex" was sitting inside the mess hall, just inches from the door. Meyrin hid behind her sister as she stepped up to Alex.

"I'd heard you saved the crew during the fire fight earlier" Luna said.

Branden and the recently arrived Joe and Noah watched the scene with interest. (Joe and Noah kept their eyes on the pink skirt :).

"Thanks Athrun!"

"You're mistaken, I'm Alex" Athrun said.

"Oh is that why you don't pilot mobile suits now?" Luna asked.

"Leave him alone Luna, who cares what people from Orb think anyway? They don't know anything!" Shinn said snidely as he walked the other way.

But his path was halted as Vincent bumped into his shoulder.

"Sorry!" Vincent whispered, brushing past Shinn as he entered the mess hall.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Zack yelled, floating down the corridor.

"Who me?" Shinn asked.

"NOT YOU IDIOT!"

Zack pushed past Shinn and planted a hand on Vincent's shoulder. The Newtype pilot swung the commander round and slammed his fist into the mans cheek. Luna and Meyrin widened their eyes as Vincent hung his head back, flying into the wall past Athrun. Linda prepared to move but stopped as Noah raised his hand, looking at the scene with eager eyes.

"Zack what are you doing?" Athrun asked.

"Giving this murdering son of a bitch what he deserves" Zack growled.

He rolled his sleeves up, grabbing Vincent by the collar of his shirt and slamming a fist into his gut. Vincent coughed but looked into Zack's eyes. The former Earth Alliance pilot had empty eyes, eyes that invited another punch from the Newtype.

"Zack!" Mayura gasped, floating into the room.

"What's going on here?" Cagalli asked, standing beside Flay and Anna.

"You don't want to miss this Cagalli" Vincent said, still looking Zack in the eyes.

"What…. WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT!" Zack yelled, slamming Vincent against the wall.

"Multiple government sanctions, a lot of people voting and a suggestion from the Earth Alliance's greatest soldier…so pretty much everything I needed to do what needed to be done"

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CASUAL ABOUT WHAT YOU DID!"

"AND HOW CAN YOU STAND THERE AND JUDGE HIM!" a voice yelled from the doorway.

Zack looked behind him and widened his eyes. Silver Mask was stood just inches from his face. He was slightly taller than Zack and his glowing eye was flaring with fury.

"Let go of him Zack, or I'll force your hands off him" Silver Mask growled.

The ZAFT pilots watched the scene with mixed emotions. They were partly concerned that a full on fistfight would break out. But another part of them wanted their curiosity to be pleased. Vincent shoved Zack's hands away and stood tall as he looked around the room.

"Zack here was thinking the same thing that Cagalli was thinking, that I was wrong to eliminate a terrorist threat completely, as you all know a fear years ago northern African terrorists had been abducting and attacking European tourists and American soldiers…well some of you have probably read the papers, well this is what I'll tell you in vivid detail, all facts, no opinions just the truth" Vincent explained.

A number of years before the Bloody Valentine War began a small group of people had immigrated from Latvia into the jungles of Bosnia. They set up a small civilisation, a village that slowly grew over the years. The government ignored them because they sent a small majority of their crops to the capital. After the Blood Valentine War however that all changed. A man from that part of the region had begun preaching to the villagers, particularly the children. He had also travelled to places like Azadistan and the Kurdish Republic, controversially preaching in Middle Eastern countries as well. Soon he disappeared from public life.

Then began a tirade of kidnappings across the world. American embassies were shown videos of the executions of American tourists while suicide bombers frequently attacked Earth Alliance soldiers.

Sensou began investigating the attacks, dropping spies and black ops teams into the regions of the attacks. In fact it was one of the first cases that warranted the need for a black ops team. Vincent had sanctioned the team, consisting of former stealth operatives from both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance to undertake undercover work, raids on local gangs and tapping the phones of numerous citizens within the regions attacked. Eventually they caught a break and discovered an international call between people from Bosnia and Iran.

"Did you give the package to our expert in the town?" The man from Iran had asked.

"Yes, he's done this type of job before, he assures me any damage to the house will be to a minimum, and he's also beginning to follow the True Faith"

"Ah he is a good man then"

The leader of the black ops team was a paranoid one, so she followed her hunch. Her investigations led her to an address where multiple chemicals had been sent. The neighbours had reported hearing smells that would never occur in the region and also of meetings between men in business suits as well as holy uniforms. Often their own daily prayers were interrupted by the chants of members of the true faith.

"Thank you!" The woman said, bowing to the family that had allowed her into their home.

She walked into the alleyways, pulling out her Sensou radio. Days later the owner of the house next door was arrested, and several components and chemicals for a bomb were removed from his garage. However the attack didn't take place in the Middle East, but in the Atlantic. Suicide bombs had been set off in numerous cities, while attempts had been made on Earth Alliance head quarters. The religious group known as the True Faith published a video on the Internet taking credit for the attacks. Vincent growled in frustration as he watched the video, they claimed that the Earth Alliance was but a means for the Americans to corrupt the cultures of the world and their destruction was the will of God.

"I want spies placed in Bosnia now" Vincent said.

He gave the command and so it was done. The black ops unit began working over time, sending undercover agents into the jungle where the "true faith" had been formed. They also shook down the businesses that supplied the materials, trying to discover the possibility of them knowing who they were selling bomb materials to. A young man with green hair covering his eye lit up a blow torch, the music blaring in his earphones kept him from listening to the mans pained cries. He took the torch away from the man's foot, removing one of his earpieces.

"Are you ready to talk?" Shani Andras asked.

"YES JUST PLEASE NO MORE!" The tied up man yelled.

"Yes, as I recall people who support the True Faith look down on cripples, you wont be able to carry on your worship of the true god without your feet will you?" A green haired man asked, reading a bible of the True faith, then throwing it aside for a traditional book. "I suggest you answer any questions we have for you my friend, perhaps we'll change your sentence to fifty years instead of death, after all you were seen talking with one of the bombers and you possessed materials used in the manufacture of the said bomb that he used" Orga Sabnak explained as he walked around the prisoner.

"What do you want to know?"

"The company you worked for claims to have never have been responsible for the bombings and yet you had given materials to the bombers, did they ever discuss motivations or plans?" Shani asked.

"The Americans have corrupted our society and the foolish scholars have destroyed our religions, we all gather under the True Faith under the true god to fight the fools who cast aside religion and live in ignorance over the pains of our culture, the leaders of the Alliance force their ways on us so we will force our ways on their citizens" The man explained.

He suddenly stopped as a laser trailed over his forehead. Vincent stepped out of the shadows, grinding his teeth together.

"The Earth Alliance has left your people alone, the war is over and yet you seek more blood shed, why, what's the point because the people walking down your street don't call god by the same name as you do, because the women are shot when they aren't covering themselves with cloths anymore, because the leaders were suits and not uniforms…you people are all the same, you complain about the tyrants but when we remove them you cry to have them back because you think we've given you something worse, your right, we were better off not getting involved with your country's problems because maybe then we wouldn't have had terrorists seeking our deaths…no, there are still stupid, crazy and down right evil people within our societies that need to be destroyed, no matter what the cost" Vincent explained.

The man's lip trembled before Vincent pulled the trigger.

"Vincent what have you done? I thought we were just scaring him a little" Shani said.

"NO!" Vincent yelled, causing Orga and Shani to back away from the body.

Vincent slammed his hand against the wall.

'Why did it come to this?' he wondered.

He left the interrogation room to receive another report from his spies. The Village in the Bosnian Jungle was indeed hiding terrorists. If Sensou wanted the terrorists then they would need to either negotiate with the government there or attack the village directly. Of course he chose the first option and as usual it didn't get any results. According to the spies report the people in the jungle treated the planners and leaders as heroes and each day they prayed for their success. Vincent looked over photos of children being trained in how to use a gun and how to assemble guns. They were being brain washed into becoming suicide bombers, driven to hate those who simply wanted to live in peace.

"DAMN IT!" Vincent yelled.

The village leader refused to turn over the terrorists, even when Sensou showed evidence, even when Sensou mobilised troops around the region. Vincent smacked the wall as he read the reports of the civilian population. No one moved, no one left, no one surrendered and that left Vincent with only one conclusion.

"They're fanatics, fanatics that refuse to hand over the murderers of hundreds…this is no longer a simple terrorist crime, it is an act of war, if you do not hand over those responsible for the terrorist attacks across the world then we will assume that every single person in the village is responsible and you will force me to take desperate action" He explained.

But still they ignored him, instead preaching something about the righteousness of their cause. Days later, Vincent put on his flight suit helmet as he climbed into a prototype Ground Gundam. While it had the standard dark grey and blue colours of the Mass Production Gundam's it was also built with jet rockets and wings on its back and waist. As Vincent activated the Gundam, a machine gun was put into the machines left hand.

"I don't understand, what do you mean your going alone?" Don asked.

"If this goes either way, it has to be me and me alone who takes the fall, I don't want anyone else to have to cross the line" Vincent as he moved the Gundam towards the edge of the troop transport jet.

He jumped off the jet, igniting the Gundam's rockets and flying across the jungle. His hands trembled as he gripped the controls sticks and triggers. With a heavy heart he landed in the middle of the village. Sensou didn't have access to nuclear weapons, so this was the only way to get rid of the threat to the Earth alliance citizens. Vincent Rach never once blinked as he unleashed a storm of bullets on a village of terrorists.

There was a bitter silence in the mess hall, one that was interrupted by Noah.

"He took the fight to the scumbags, good for him" Noah said.

"You don't understand, he didn't assassinate a bunch of terrorists, he destroyed the entire civilisation, killed thousands" Zack said, glaring at Vincent.

"He bought down an entire village, destroyed churches, the hospital, huts…he killed soldiers, priests, elders, women, children and even babies were buried underneath the rubble" Silver Mask explained. "Didn't make what he did right but terrorist organisations got the message, he'll kill anyone who tries to hide war mongers, so nations stopped hiding their "freedom fighters" and handed them over the Sensou, all the blood…it got results"

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!" Cagalli yelled.

"Orb has never suffered from terrorist attacks, tell me princes if you nation was attacked and you knew who had committed it would you stand idly by and let them plan again? Would you allow others to be attacked by a known threat that would not yield until their enemies are completely destroyed? Vincent destroyed the priests so that they wouldn't pass their foolish fanatical ways and he killed the children because they were being trained to fight a future war…that village was preparing itself for war, so Vincent struck first, he got into a fight with their mobile suit Corps and then he gunned down the rest of the villagers, neither of whom refused to surrender"

Silver Mask looked around the room, making sure he made eye contact with each person as he spoke.

"This man though he acted against what Gekido Jaeger would have done saved lives…his actions though unethical and disgusting to you saved lives, you guys had better be ready to cross the line one day because when the time comes you might find that a thousand people have to die so that billions can live, unless you gain the strength and the wisdom that Gekido had to fight and to change the entire world"

Zack's senses flared for a moment as he rubbed his head. This mans passion felt familiar to him. Vincent rubbed his eyes as he walked away from Zack. But he promptly stopped at the door as he turned to face the young man.

"I make no apologies for what I did, there's no one left for me to apologise to, but know this Zack, I would have been open to peace, I would have accepted a surrender but as we all know they weren't willing to compromise" Vincent said.

Arthur rushed down the corridor, stopping as he reached Vincent.

"Commander Rach, Captain Noa really wishes to speak with you, Chairman Durandal and Captain Gladys are also preparing a video meeting with him, it concerns the colony Junius Seven"

Vincent could tell from Trine's rushed voice that it wasn't anything good that was happening. Zack, Cagalli, Athrun, Vincent and Flay and Silver Mask quickly gathered in Talia's office. She had set up a video link with Captain Noa, whom had a serious expression on his face shared by the Chairman.

"We discovered it an hour ago, Junius Seven is falling out of its orbit towards Earth" Chairman Durandal said.

The group widened their eyes while Silver Mask's eye faded.

"What's being done about it?" he asked.

"We've deployed a team to stop its descent in anyway they can" Durandal said.

"I've called Captain Badgiruel and told her to abandon pursuit of Bogey One, we're also having any available teams fly to the Junius Seven wreck, right now stopping it is our top priority" Bright explained.

"What is the Earth Alliance doing about it?" Vincent asked.

"We've sent news but they're doing nothing"

"Send multiple teams across Earth and evacuate major populations, particularly those by the sea, those regions are our priority" Vincent said.

"Yes sir!"

Silver Mask ignored the discussions as he walked out of the office. His eyes took on a fierce glow as he growled.

"Those bastards, they better hope that Sensou gets them first" He said.

"What are you babbling about?" Zack asked.

"This wasn't an accident"

"What makes you say that?"

"Call it intuition, either way there will be blood in space and most definitely Earth, unless we stop Junius Seven…if my instincts prove to be correct then there will still be blood in space" Silver Mask said as he walked away from the New type mercenary.

With repairs complete the Minerva and the White Base flew alongside one another, intending to reach Junius Seven before it struck the Earth. Flay sat in her room, communicating with Sensou headquarters via her laptop.

"Call in anyone whose off duty, have them deploy to support civilians and keep poking the Alliance until they start moving to help, call the Shadow unit as well, I want Mizura's team in space with whatever heavy weapons we have, I don't care how experimental, if it makes a big bang we use it" She explained.

The Sensou member nodded his head before cutting the line. Flay sighed, leaning her head against her chair as she looked at the picture of her and Kira, taken just after the battle of Jachin Due. She suppressed tears; instead she prayed that her lover would be safe. Branden slammed his hands into his locker, an act that Kojiro was tempted to follow. They both knew that whatever had pushed Junius Seven out of the debris belt wasn't an accident. Silver Mask was right, there would be blood in space.

Soon, the Minerva's crew would go back to work, though for now they would rest. Shinn and his small group of friends sat in the Mess hall, with Nia sitting to the side while Zack, Anna and Mayura were further away from them. Branden and Kojiro entered when the group started discussing Junius Seven.

"How are we going to stop something that size?" Luna asked.

"Its not as if you could fucking push the thing out of orbit" Nia muttered.

"What can we do, I mean with the sheer size of it if it hits then its game over for the Earth" Youlan said.

"I see coordinators don't watch many movies, any of you guys seen Armageddon?" Branden asked with a snide smile.

"Break it up!" Rey said, catching everyone's attention. "A simple explosion on the surface wont do anything to sway its course, but in theory if we drilled multiple holes into the core of the colony then the explosion will split it apart, sending at least one piece floating away from the Earth" He explained.

"But that still leaves a lot of distance that the remaining piece covers, and not to mention the amount of debris that would still be falling to Earth" Youlan said.

"And what about all the bodies still inside?" Meyrin asked.

Zack shook his head as he got off his chair.

"The dead wont shed any tears, its either the memory of the dead or the continued existence of humanities original home, Earth" He said.

"Mr Tempest's right, if we don't act then either two things will happen, the colony hits and triggers a nuclear winter, or it destroys the planet entirely" Rey said.

An eerie silence fell over the crew as they contemplated the importance of their upcoming mission. Of course there was always one person amongst any group that would break the silence with an inappropriate comment.

"Well, if it's meant to be it's meant to be" Youlan said. "I mean think about it, this'll settle a loud of problems for the Plants!"

Branden growled in fury, only for Kojiro to grab his shoulder as Cagalli stepped into the room.

"How could you say that?" She asked. "Its meant to be, is this how ZAFT thinks of the Earth, I thought that things had changed under Chairman Durandal's guidance, is this how ZAFT thinks?"

Vincent walked into the room just as Shinn got off his chair.

"You don't have to take it so seriously, Youlan was only trying to lighten the mood" He said.

"I'm not known for my sense of humour but I do know a sick joke when I hear one" Kojiro said.

Shinn ignored the comment and carried on.

"Shinn, watch how you speak" Rey said.

"Oh yeah she is the representative of another country, a princess of Orb" He said snidely.

Cagalli growled but stopped as Athrun stepped in front of him.

"You seem to have some kind of grudge against Orb, even though you once lived there right?" Athrun asked.

Shinn ignored the question, turning his head away.

"Whatever your problem is I wont allow you to draw the representative into a trivial reason to hate Orb"

"Trivial…I wont let anyone call it trivial" Shinn growled.

Vincent raised his head, watching as Shinn's smugness became outright hostility. His eyes flared and his shoulders shook. Shinn Asuka had a temper as quick as Gekido's.

"I lost my entire family because of the Athha's"

Cagalli widened her eyes at the accusation while Vincent's hand shook. Silver Mask walked into the room, stroking his mask as he watched the scene.

"They believed in the nation, but in the end they were killed at…"

"Onogoro!" Vincent interrupted.

Shinn widened his eyes in shock, stepping back slightly while the others focused their attention on the two pilots. Zack felt an immense tinge of guilt from Vincent and he immediately regretted the stance he had taken earlier. Kojiro closed his eyes while Branden lowered his head, both of them knew that Vincent had been at Onogoro. Though Branden had put two and two together, Kojiro himself had seen Vincent's Strike Dagger aiding in the evacuation of civilians. Unfortunately some people didn't listen to the EA pilot's advice.

"_Only stop for someone!"_

Good words, it was too bad one group didn't follow his orders. Vincent walked in front of Cagalli and looked Shinn in the eyes.

"You hate the Athha's because they didn't surrender to the Earth Alliance, even when Uzumi Nara took responsibility and ended his own life" Vincent said.

"Did they ever think about the people that would suffer because they insisted on holding onto their ideals? My parents and my sister died because of them, that's why I'll never believe their self serving lies again!"

"Self serving lies, Cagalli isn't like that…the one to blame was Saint Yuri, he was the one who shot off my Dagger's arm"

Shinn gasped, his fierce gaze dropped as he lowered his hands. Luna and Meyrin looked at Vincent in shock while Rey narrowed his eyes. Even Nia looked over her shoulder at the scene. Silver Mask however crossed his arms.

"The Dagger that was over Mayu, that was you?" Shinn asked.

Vincent simply nodded his head, still looking Shinn in the eyes.

"Saint Yuri committed a terrible crime, but now he's dead" Vincent said.

"THAT DOESN'T CHANGE WHAT THE ATHHA'S SHOULD HAVE DONE! NOR DOES IT CHANGE WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE! You…you should have been more alert, Uzumi Nara Athha should have surrendered when he had the chance"

"If I could take back what happened I would"

"Shut up" Shinn growled. "I wish people who didn't understand anything didn't talk as if they did" he said as he walked past Vincent.

"Shinn wait just hear me out" Vincent said as he planted his hand on Shinn's shoulder.

Shinn swung around, slamming his fist against Vincent's cheek. The punch sent Vincent floating into the side of the mess hall window. Meyrin and Luna gasped while Branden and Kojiro got off their seats. Ready to punish the boy that attacked their commander. But Silver Mask raised his hands, and the two pilots stopped. He crossed his arms and looked Shinn in the eyes as he passed him.

"What are you looking at?" Shinn asked.

"Either a righteous man or a foolish man, some day you'll have to decide which one you are" Silver Mask said.

The rest of the journey towards Junius Seven continued to be awkward and bitter for the Minerva crew. Cagalli spent the majority of the time resting in her room and confessing to Athrun her fathers feelings on his choice. He had to make the choice he did, no matter how badly it hurt.

"Cagallli, you should have known you'd come across people like that" Athrun said.

There was no lecture, only comfort in his voice.

"Making that choice, choosing the path he took…it tore him apart" Cagalli cried, wrapping her arms around Athrun's neck.

Athrun held onto the girl he had grown to love, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.

"Perhaps you'll remember your father the next time you choose to judge others!"

Athrun and Cagalli looked at the edge of their cabin door. Silver Mask stood with his arms crossed, looking down at them.

"See through another's eyes and you'll understand them, even if you don't want to" He said.

When the elevator door opened, Luna floated out with a smile on her face.

"How's the princess doing?" She asked the masked man.

Silver Mask tilted his head, his eye shifting into a continuously twitching line.

"She's just been reminded of her fathers death, people are pretending that she hasn't lost friends either and she's been faced with rather disturbing news that a large colony is going to crash into her planet…she's just dandy Miss Hawke" Silver Mask growled.

He grabbed Luna's shoulder and floated into the elevator.

"Now come on, its time for us to get ready, you can apologise for your idiocy later"

The pilots mounted their machines, everyone had to launch for a mission this important. Elsewhere a former Le Creuscet team member commented about the importance of the mission just before he and his new Commander launched. The Joule team was the first team to be sent in with the colony breakers. Nearby Sensou ships also began to launch their own machines. A blue and white Gundam with red and orange cannons also launched. The black haired pilot narrowed his eyes at the sight of the falling colony.

Athrun floated into the Minerva's bridge and solemnly asked the captain for a mobile suit. Durandal kindly granted Athrun his request, allowing him to fight again. Branden gripped his controls tightly while Kojiro calmly meditated.

"Damn those fuckers, I'm gonna shoot them all down" Nia said.

"We cant let the Earth be destroyed" Zack said.

The Dusk's eyes glowed a red colour, causing the mechanics to shiver. Silver Mask sat with his arms crossed inside the cockpit. He tilted his head, pressing a finger against the side of his helmet.

"Vincent, don't let anything hold you back in this battle, fight with every bit of fury you've got" Silver Mask said.

"What do you mean?" Vincent asked.

"Your distracted, but turn your guilt into anger and unleash your anger on your opponent, anger will bring you victory in this situation because this is a situation that calls for anger"

Vincent widened his eyes, flipping to a page in Gekido's book.

_When the situation calls for it, anger can be the weapon you can use to claim victory!_

* * *

The Girty Lue pilots had watched the confrontation between Tyrant and Neo with a mixture of excitement and stress.

"Why didn't your machines work the way the were supposed to?" Neo asked.

"I don't know, we never programmed those kinds of responses into them" Tyrant said.

"Then the impossible has happened"

"No Captain, it hasn't, The Purpose Mark 2's will never reach Sentience, and Unit 1 is just a slight miss calculation, one that is easily rectified"

Just then, Darcel began to clutch his head, trembling in fear as the ship shook. Stella shivered while Jone ran to one of the comm. Stations.

"What's going on down there?" He asked a mechanic.

"It's the Unit 1!"

Tyrant turned to the screen, his eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT!" The General yelled.

"We connected it to the ships computer and we were ready to delete its combat data like you suggested, when all of a sudden its eyes started…"

The ship shook again and Stella screamed as Darcel fell into a fit. Foam fell from his mouth as his Newtype pulse caused Neo to grip his head in pain. The Cyber Newtype Extended screamed out before his voice turned to one of pure fury.

"LET ME OUT OR I'LL RIP THESE DOORS DOWN!"

"DARCEL!" Jone yelled, rushing to his fellow Extended's side.

Darcel passed out just as Unit 1 Purpose Gundam 2 began tearing apart the hanger door. It's eyes generated an intense red glow before it ignited its rockets, burning half of the engineering crew as it flew out of the Girty Lue. Tyrant looked out of the window in shock as the Gundam flew towards Junius Seven. Neo breathed a sigh of relief as his headache passed.

'For some reason that things actions make me happy, as if it reminds me of someone' Neo thought. 'But I've never met Gekido Jaeger!'

Tyrant pressed his hand against his helmet, making communication with his contacts.

"Tell his lordship that any one of his theories has happened, Unit 1 has either gained complete sentience or it thinks that it's Gekido Jaeger!"

Next Chapter 8: Falling graveyard

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next will be the big battle of Junius Seven. Please tell me what you thought of the chapter, plus tell me what your OC's think of Vincent's actions a year ago

Thanks for reading


	9. Falling graveyard

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Nick Armstrong is the property of mechapunk87

here it is, the Junius Seven fall, the beginning part of it anyway, I'd like to thank everybody who review and gave me their character's opinions on the drop

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 8: Falling Graveyard

The Minerva flew towards the crackling wreck of Junius Seven, unlike the smaller ZAFT ships than were in the area. Multiple mobile suits launched from the Salamis Kai class ships. Four GM's and two "ball" mobile pods, round pods with green circular visors, claws and cannons on the top. A red and white Gundam type mobile suit launched from the White Base, its rockets generating red particles. Nena sat inside the cockpit, wearing her custom flight suit and leading two Guncannon units behind her. A fourth mobile suit launched, a GM custom with blue and green armour. Strapped to its armour were also spare rifles. The brown haired pilot inside of it flexed his neck and folded out his long-range scope.

"Hmmm, that'll be a bitch to shoot apart" He said.

A G-flyer flew past the GM, carrying the parts for the Jegan's burning mode. The GM Custom, piloted by the pilot Nick Armstrong flew onto a falling meteor. He bought up a sniper rifle and waited for his chance to shoot. The parts of the Burning Jegan detached from the flyer and flew into the Jegan. Shinn's Impulse assembled with the Force Silhoutte, and the Dusk switched to its jet mode. Zack closed his eyes, reaching across the wreck of Junius Seven with a Newtype pulse.

"Shots are being fired over the dead, bodies are being ripped apart by explosions…someone is already fighting" Zack growled.

Anna and Mayura gasped.

"I feel it too, someone of immense anger, no they're all angry…they want people to die Zack" Anna said.

"Then lets kill them first!" Branden said.

The Kampfer cocked its shotgun while the Arche Gargoyle drew its sword. All of the mobile suits flew towards the explosions, shocked by what they saw. High Manoeuvre type GINN's were fighting with ZAFT Guaiz's and Sensou GM's. A GM took a blast to the shoulder, firing defiantly at the leading GINN before another GINN stabbed it in the back. Vincent gripped his controls tightly, suppressing the urge to yell as a GINN sliced a Ball in half. A green Zaku fired its beam rifle, but threw it aside and drew a long-range cannon identical to Luna's. It shot a GINN's arm off, but the terrorist unit defiantly fired back.

"It wasn't an accident" Rey said.

Kojiro narrowed his eyes at the scene while Branden growled in frustration.

"YOU DAMN COORDINATORS ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU BEFORE YOU EVEN SEE THAT WRECKED HOURGLASS FALL" Branden yelled.

The young middle eastern man went into a bloody rage, his Gundam's eyes flashing as it drew the swords. He flew straight ahead of the unit, swinging his swords down at the GINN's.

"Everybody wait, we need to spare one of them so we can question them" Vincent said.

"No fucking way, I'm gonna shoot these bastards apart" Nia said.

The Slash Zaku fired its Gatling guns, followed by the Zaku Phantom launching its missiles. Beams and rockets flew across space, forcing the attacking mobile suits to fly across the wreckage. Luna drew her cannon, firing it into the group of GINN's. Kojiro span his spear around, throwing it into the chest of a GINN. With first blood drawn, the pilots broke off, firing upon the ones who broke Junius Seven. A GM drew its beam sabre, slamming it against a GINN's shield.

"Follow Commander Rach's orders, we need a prisoner to question" Linda said.

"But we can still kill the rest of them" Noah said.

He slammed his blade into a GINN's katana, smirking as the mobile suit knocked him back. A sudden explosion knocked Mayura and Anna off their flight course; they recovered by transforming into their mobile suit forms. They widened their eyes as they saw the Mongers and Liberty flying through the tunnels of the colony. The Liberty sliced a chunk off of a fallen mobile suit, firing its beam Vulcan's at one of the Monger's.

"What is that?" Mayura asked.

Suddenly, the Dusk flew in front of the Neo Raptors, drawing its beam cutlass. It's eye flashed before flying towards the Monger.

"They're the ones who pushed the colony out of orbit" Silver Mask said.

"What's it to you?" A Monger pilot asked.

"You've doomed the Earth"

"Maybe…although shouldn't you be trying to stop the colony?"

"I have absolute faith that Vincent and Athrun can prevent any catastrophic damage"

"Really, they must be good fighters"

"No they aren't, they just refuse to let the innocent die" Silver Mask smirked.

"That concept is useless to me, I will do what I was created to do, fight and test my strength" The Monger said.

"BASTARD!"

The Monger turned around, grabbing the wrist of a Neo Raptor. Zack swung his sabre at the Monger, Newtype Energy surging through his mobile suit. The Monger flew back, sheathing its rifle and pointing a fist at the Neo Raptor. Anna put her hands to her chest as she watched the showdown. Mayura flew in Anna's way, blocking a beam from the other Monger. It fired at the girls again before bringing its shield up to block the Liberty's sword.

"Your pressure, its different from Gekido Jaeger's but I still get the same feeling of disgust" Zack said.

"Oh really, are you sure that's disgust your feeling, I've got it pegged as fear" The Monger pilot said.

"Don't try to play cool, your assisting in the destruction of the Earth"

"Its no different from the numerous doomsday plans that Haman Karn wrote up"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK CRAP ABOUT AUNT KARN!" Zack yelled, flying at the Monger.

The pilot sighed, dropping his hands into a fighting stance. He swung his fist forward, striking the Raptor's faceplate. A small crack ran across the visor, but that didn't stop Zack from swinging a leg at the Monger. But the pilot bought his arm up, and the machine followed the command, blocking Zack's kick.

"Touchy aren't we" The Monger pilot chuckled.

Simon yelled as he flew after the Monger, slashing apart bits of the colony to catch his target. The Monger swung around, firing his automatic rifle in an arc that cut apart several Guaiz units.

"What's that?" The pilot of the Green Zaku Gunner asked.

"I don't know Dearka but its shooting so its obviously an enemy" Yzak Joule, Commander of the colony breaking team said.

Gone was his scar and red coat, replaced with a White Commanders uniform. His Slash Zaku Phantom fired its beam rifle, then tossed it aside and drew a beam axe. Athrun and Vincent flew to the breaker team, Vincent took the left and Athrun the right closest to the commander's team.

"What's the situation?" Athrun asked.

"Athrun…is that you?" Yzak asked.

"Yzak"

"Well what do you know, a reunion" Dearka smirked.

"What the hell are you doing here Athrun?" Yzak asked.

"Good to see you haven't changed Joule" Joe said, flying to the teams flank.

Vincent narrowed his eyes at a group of approaching machines. They were the stolen prototypes plus the other Gundams. A Buster Archer was also following them, armed with midrange beam weaponry.

"My god, looks like the plans a success…but still I wish it didn't make me so sick" Jone said.

"Shut up Yuridate, this was his Lordships will, and we will carry out that will" Lucifer said.

"I don't care…I JUST WANT TO THIS HEADACHE TO STOP!" Darcel yelled.

Neo knew that he shouldnt have left Darcel out after what happened to Unit 1, but Darcel was still their best weapon against the Newtypes of the Ravens Nest. Anna put a hand to her head, moaning in pain. The Monger saw the hesitation in the Neo Raptor and immediately opened fire on the machine.

"ANNA!" Mayura yelled.

The former pilot of Orb flew into the path of the beams, blocking the barrage with her shield. Simon yelled as he dived towards the Monger, slashing its rifle in half.

"NO MORE RUNNING!" Simon yelled.

He threw his fist forward, slamming it into the Monger's face. The Monger pilot yelled as he flew into the side of the Junius Seven hourglass. With a kick of his feet, he flew into the air and looked at the Liberty. A hatch slid open on the Monger's waist and a beam sabre flew into its hand.

"You didn't think I would be just about long range weaponry did you?" The Monger pilot asked.

"Shut up, I'm not going to let you get away with what you did to my friends" Simon said.

"Your fighting for revenge, pitiful, still if it gives you the motivation then try to strike me down"

Simon flew forward, slamming his sword against the Monger's sabre. Shinn fired at the GINN's; widening his eyes as the Bogey One machines attacked the group. Sting launched his mobile pods and Auel fired his cannons. Kojiro easily dodged the blasts while Rey blocked the beams with his shield. Rey fired his beam rifle, flying around the Abyss. The Chaos drew its beam sabre, slashing at the Kenshin. But Kojiro flipped his machine over the long range Gundam, drawing his Katana's. He dived at the Chaos, slamming his swords against the machines shield.

"Hmmm, the ZAFT forces have several breakers with them" Lee said.

"What are they up to?" Neo asked.

Tyrant smirked, listening to the idiot's speculate while he fought. His Monger was vastly superior to the other Cyber Psyche machines. With a single thought he unclipped funnel bits on his machines waist and shoulder armour. The drill like bits span around, generating intensive heat in order to create a saw like blade. A Sensou breaker unit was cut apart by the blade, also destroying the three GM's carrying it. Nena widened her eyes as she looked at the Monger unit. She drew her beam rifle and fired at the unit. But the funnels flew around the Monger, generating a barrier. Tyrant then fired his rifle, hitting Nena's shoulder.

"NENA!" Don yelled.

Luna raised her cannon; ready to fire but widened her eyes as an orange blur flew past her machine. The Dusk Aero Gundam changed into its mobile suit form and slammed its fist into the Monger's barrier. Tyrant widened his eyes, as the barrier broke apart. He commanded his funnels to attack the separate units, drawing his beam sabre and slamming it into the Dusk's shield. Stella jumped from wreck to wreck in her quadruped form, firing her cannons at Luna. She bought her shield up, blocking the blasts and returning fire.

"Who are these guys?" Dearka asked.

"Right now you need to assume that they're working with these guys" Vincent said just as he shot off a GINN's arm.

Flay gripped her seat tightly as she watched the pilots fight. The Minerva was heading closer and closer towards the battlefield. Durandal had left for a nearby ZAFT ship, while Cagalli stayed for Athrun. But the only reason Flay stayed was so she could witness the end of the battle. She was the chairwoman of Sensou; she needed to see this battle through till the end. Vincent fired his gun, launching three beams at single units. The scarred terrorist growled as he drew his Katana. His two flank guards fired at the Sensou colony breaker, shooting the two GM's guarding it.

"Everyone protect the breakers, Earth's safety comes before revenge" Athrun said.

"I'm in charge here, don't go giving out orders civilian, but still do as he says" Yzak said.

Dearka shook his head as he fired his cannon, beheading a GINN. Yzak swung his beam axe round, slicing an arm off of a GINN. Athrun also fired his beam rifle, disarming two GINN's before drawing his tomahawk. He threw the axe into the Chaos's shield, knocking it back slightly. The Bombard swung around, firing explosive rounds at the Guaiz's. Dearka intercepted the rounds with a single blast from his cannon, and then threw a volley of grenades. Stark grinded his teeth together as the smoke obscured his view. Linda flew past the Bombard throwing her own collection of smoke grenades.

"Idiots, you don't seriously think a little smoke will stop me do you" The extended pilot said.

Suddenly, Joe fired his shotgun, hitting the Bopmbard's missile launchers. Noah then flew in, swinging his sword downwards and cutting off the Bombard's left arm.

"Impossible, I'M THE ULTIMATE EXTENDED!" Stark yelled.

He ignited his beam bayonet and swung his arm round, slicing the Arche Gargoyle across the face. Noah quickly kicked off of the Gundam, stabbing his blade into a GINN's chest.

"This is the strength of those who lived through the Bloody Valentine War" Luna said, looking at the scene in shock.

Shinn was also taken aback by their prowess, looking hesitantly to Vincent Rach's battle. He was shooting at the Mercy, firing both his Beam Gun and Vulcan's. Two GINN's flew over pieces of wreckage, firing at the Impulse. Shinn dodged the beams, returning fire. He clipped the rifle to his waist and drew a beam sabre, flying headfirst towards one of the GINN's. The Impulse slashed the GINN across the waist then slammed its sabre against the others shield.

"The world must change, my daughters grave must fall" The GINN pilot said.

Shinn swung his blade round, cutting the GINN in two.

"His daughter" he said.

Silver Mask grinded his sword against the Monger's sabre. He ducked underneath Tyrant's swing, slashing back with a horizontal thrust. But Tyrant rolled out of the path of the blade, aiming his pistol at the Aero's chest. He fired an explosive round into the Aero's shield, breaking it apart. Silver Mask threw the handle aside and drew his submachine gun. Holding both blade and gun he shot at the Monger, forcing it to block a combination of bullets and beams. He then swung his sword downwards, cutting the shield in half.

"That stance" Dearka said, watching the Dusk shoot its machine gun.

For a second he thought he saw the silhouette of an orange GINN before he focused his attention back on the real fight. The Fallen slammed its sabre against his shield, forcing him back slightly. Yzak swung his axe at the Fallen, which flipped backwards, releasing some explosive feathers. Suddenly Nia flew into the fight, firing her Gatling Guns. She intercepted the feathers before they exploded, focusing her attention on the Fallen. Suddenly a funnel fired a blast into her shoulder, knocking her back. More funnels flew around the breaker team, randomly firing at them.

"Your team mates are in trouble Zack, are you sure you don't want to stop and listen to their screams?" The Cyber Psyche pilot asked, continuing his hand-to-hand battle with Zack.

The Neo Raptor swung a fist towards the Monger. But the Monger grabbed the Neo Raptor's wrist and flipped it over its shoulder. Zack bounced off of one of the rocks, slamming his fist into the Monger's head. Simon chased after the other Monger unit, flying past Kojiro as he slammed his sword into the Buster Archer's shield. Lyna shoved the Kenshin back, firing her beam pistol at the Gundam. She threw both her shield and pistol aside and drew her more powerful rifle.

"Target locked, eliminating target" She said.

With a pull of the trigger she fired multiple blasts at the Kenshin, which barely managed to dodge the beams fired by Lyna and the surrounding funnels.

"All this death, all of the destruction, it'll be delicious" Darcel said.

He watched as the Murasama cleaved two GINN's in half, smirking as the thick shoulder Gundam turned its eyes to him. Darcel licked his lips together as he aimed his Gatling Guns. He rolled the barrels, sending a barrage of bullets flying at the Murasama. They scraped against the Murasama's armour, scratching bits off as the Gundam flew towards its target. Branden swung his swords down, slamming them against the Slaughter's guns. They slid their weapons together, taking off chunks of the ore that had been used to make them. Branden yelled in pure rage while Darcel yelled for the sheer enjoyment.

"Salamis Kai Class ships Shenyan, Moscow and Kyoto launch six missiles each into the general area of the breaker team" Vincent said over the radio.

"You heard the commander, load missile tubes six through seven" The Captain of the Moscow said.

"Yes Captain Smirnoff!"

"Prepare to fire torpedoes" Said the captain of the Kyoto.

"Hai Tokugawa Taicho!"

"Launch six missiles as Commander Rach ordered us" The young captain of the Shenyan said.

"You got it Ed"

"Captain Bernard not ED!" The Captain growled.

The three captains narrowed their eyes at the scene, never once questioning their Captain's orders. Vincent wouldn't use his last opportunity to communicate with them for nothing. Dust and gravity would disrupt the Jegan's short-range radio. The Commander had a plan and the soldiers of Sensou didn't question it. Each captain threw their arm forward and gave their orders.

"FIRE!"

"TEI!"

"LAUNCH!"

Eighteen missiles flew towards the colony, manoeuvring around debris and slamming against the surface of the lifeless island. They bombarded the greying husk, sending pieces of debris flying upwards. GINN's armed with Katana's and carbines flew from their hiding places. The Jegan swung around, firing a blast from its three-barrelled gun. Three beams cut apart a GINN right beside the leader of the terrorists. Sato narrowed his eyes at the Jegan, drawing his sword and flying straight towards the machine.

"Arming Arc, Shinn Asuka, please help me defend my men" Vincent said, clicking a few holographic buttons, then gripping his controls.

The Jegan braced itself, slamming its shield against Sato's katana. Sato yelled as he pushed the Jegan towards the surface of the colony. Debris and bodies bounced off of their armour as they slid across the falling graveyard.

"SIR!" The Sensou pilot yelled.

"Get the breaker to where you need to take it all ready" Shinn said.

"It wont be that easy!" Jone said.

He swung his beam rods, slicing a GM in half. One of the GM's drew its beam pistol, firing it at the Mercy. Jone flew from side to side, easily dodging the beams. Shinn flew at the mercy, swinging his sabre at the machine. Two GINN's fired at the Impulse, hitting its shield. Two shots suddenly flew out of space, hitting the two GINN's in their chest. Shinn overcame his initial curiosity and went back to his battle with the Mercy.

"Magnus cycle through my weapons" Simon said.

In an instant, the list of available weapons flashed in front of Simon's eyes. He reached his left hand for his right elbow and slid a rifle from one of the Liberty's hidden compartments. The rifle barrel extended and the Liberty swung around, firing multiple green beams at the Monger.

"Ha, they do say that people have the right to bare arms, but is it liberty when they hide their power?" The Monger pilot asked.

"Whoever put this suit here knew what had to be done, a long rang weapon to pierce the hearts of those who did this" Simon said.

He aimed his rifle, firing a blast that flew past the Monger and into the chest of a GINN. Simon flew forward, firing his beam rifle at the Monger. The Monger flexed its arms, suddenly igniting a pair of beam shields. It blocked the shots then ejected the beam shields, launching them at the Liberty. Simon flipped the suit round, kicking one shield away, and then jumping off of the other. He swung his sabre downwards, missing the Monger by inches. The Monger swung its sabre against the Liberty's sword, releasing a shower of sparks on the graveyard.

Zack's Newtype energy rebounded off of every side of the colony. He sensed the anger of his fellow pilots and the anger of Sato's men. Sato had lost family at Junius Seven. Suddenly, Zack put a hand to his head as he felt the intense insanity of the Slaughter's pilot. He bought up his hand just in time to block a punch from the Monger. The Monger pilot smirked as he looked at his opponent. Zack yelled, generating a pulse that caused the Monger pilot to clutch his head. Having temporarily lost control of his suit, the pilot was left defenceless against Zack's next attack.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Zack yelled.

He threw the Monger across the debris field, and then switched to mobile armour mode. The Neo Raptor slammed into the Monger, dragging it through debris big and small. Chunks of entire ships exploded when the Monger was thrown against it. The pilots visor cracked and a piece of the glass fell off, revealing a blue eye. He yelled, drawing a beam sabre and stabbing it into the side of the Neo Raptor. Zack widened his eyes, quickly returning to mobile suit mode. His left arm flew off but a smirk crossed his face as he pressed his sniper rifle into the Monger's head.

"HOW DARE YOU DESTROY THE BEAUTY OF EARTH!" Zack roared.

The Monger pilot widened his eyes as the Neo Raptor shot off his mobile suit's head. Zack was about to fire another shot until the Monger threw its beam sabre, slicing into the sniper rifle. He threw the rifle just as it exploded, knocking him and the Monger back.

"Don't talk to me about the beauty of Earth, every inch of it is a hellhole, especially the gathering ground for those pigs!" The Monger pilot said, his mouth plate shattering as he spat out a clot of blood.

He watched as the blood floated in front of the image of the Earth, half occupied by the visage of the falling colony. The pilot spat again, not to clear the blood from his mouth but just to convey his disgust of the supposed defenders of Earth's interests. Men who right now were sitting at a clubhouse, sipping wine and playing snooker. The disgusting rich and high class of the Earth, mostly American men with a problem with everything they couldn't control. But the pilot couldn't complain, after all it was those men's schemes that gave him what he needed. His purpose: to fight and to kill.

"Guess there's no point in staying here, this battle gives me a bad taste anyway" The pilot said.

He turned around and flew away from the falling colony. Zack grinded his teeth together, turning to the direction his comrades had taken their fights in. The Impulse swung its sabre at the Mercy; both mobile suits flew around the meteor breakers. Tyrant slammed his sabre against Silver Mask's sword, grinding his teeth together as he commanded his mobile suit to press on harder. Silver Mask coolly slid out of the way, sending the Monger stumbling forward.

"Whoever you are you should be in that mobile suit yourself, controlling your suit from a safe position is ineffective, you should be part of the fighting, part of the team" Silver Mask said.

Tyrant ignored the man and charged forward. The Minerva was just outside the colonies orbit, ready to fire any available weapons if it had to.

"Ma'am, those Purpose type mobile suits are approaching our position" One of the radar crewmen said.

"We don't have pilots to defend the ship" Arthur said.

Talia narrowed her eyes as the camera zoomed in on the three Purpose Mark 2's.

"One of the machines appears to be missing" Arthur pointed out.

"Arm all weapons and get ready to defend" Talia said.

The three machines armed their weapons, getting ready to fire upon the ship. Joe fired his shotgun repeatedly, trying to hit the funnels and explosive feathers flying around his mobile suit. Yzak swung his axe downwards, cleaving the Abyss's spear in half. Dearka slammed his shield against the Chaos, and then punched the machine across the face. Athrun fired a stream of missiles, hitting a GINN and forcing two away from the Joule team.

"Soon, very soon the graveyard will the point of no return and even if you break it apart the Earth will still burn" Sato said.

He sliced the Jegan's gun in half, and then kicked the machine in the chest. Vincent threw what was left of his gun aside and drew his beam sabre.

"Then we'll just have to get the breakers before they reach that point wont we?" Vincent asked.

Athrun sudden slammed into the back of Sato, slamming him against the surface of the colony.

"NOW VINCENT MOVE THE BREAKERS!" Athrun yelled.

Vincent flew to his breaker team, taking the place of one of the fallen GM's and helping the breaker team move the drill onto the edge of the colony.

"NO! ALL UNITS CONVERGE ON THE BREAKER TEAMS!" Sato yelled.

He pushed past Athrun and began firing his Carbine wildly at the GM's. Vincent swung around, blocking the shots withy his shield. He grinded his teeth together as he took the shots. But more of the hidden terrorists began flying from their ambush spots. Sato aimed his carbine, targeting the base of the breaker. Suddenly, a red blast flew into Sato's gun, blowing it in half. He looked up, his furious eyes widening further as he looked upon his new foe.

"I recognise your voice, Sato, you're a pathetic excuse for a soldier"

Three Black Zaku Kai's had accompanied him, Dagger Thanos, former soldier of ZAFT and pilot of the Black Gundam. The crew of the Minerva widened their eyes as a Customised Zaku Kai landed on the ship. It had less armour and bulk than the others, and as opposed to the Mono eye, two red slits glowed over its black visor. Armoured rockets and cannons were welded onto its shoulders while the cockpit area had black armour similar to the original High Manoeuvre type GINN's. The pilot wore a black flight suit with a clear visor, revealing strands of his gold hair. He drew a pair of anti ship swords with double-edged beam blades.

"I should be at the colony, after all that's the most dangerous place right now, but Thanos gave me orders I suppose…crew of the Minerva, this is Marcus Loussier, know that from this point on the Black Storm faction will aid you in anyway possible, but once the Earth is saved its all bets off" Marcus said before flying his mobile suit forward.

"Ma'am, that mobile suit is moving at six times the recommended speed for that kind of suit" Meyrin said, widening her eyes in shock.

Talia looked at the new arriving mobile suits in shock. Black Zaku Kai's were helping damaged GM's and Guaiz's onto their ships. It seemed that the rumours were true; Dagger Thanos had created a new army. First he'd help ZAFT, then he'd go to war with them. Durandal smirked from his shuttle, losing Thanos was a set back, but he still had an ace in the hole.

Next Chapter 9: Anger of the living

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time it'll be a bit of stuff going on in space and on Earth. Djibril and his horde discuss their plans for the future while the leaders that are really interested in Earth's survival dispatch teams to restore order and save as many lives as they can


	10. Anger of the living

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Jeremiah Isfrail is property of 00virtuezero and Bhishma Alhazard is the property of BIGGZ1344

Here we are, the breaking of Junius Seven and view of Kira and Lacus on...well alot of things

Plus the introduction of the possible leaders of the Earth Alliance, two you know (one is one of my favourite characters from Wing) while another is a bit of a mystery but a past, present and future closely tied to the last series protagonist. Also apologies to the Lacus Clyne fans for this chapter...but lets face it, its a really good point thats bought up, and I could imagine the epic music and voices if this scene was ever drawn out as an anime.

Oh and if people have been offended by what Vincent has said to Lacus then I will say this, he was at a point in his sanity where he just says "enough about Lacus being an angel" I'd like to think that it shows that Lacus isnt necessarily right in all the things she does either. I wont make any apologies about it, hell I like her character too, but quite frankly this was a scene that I felt could really portray not just Vincent's view, but other peoples views on Lacus. So enjoy the scene!

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 9: Anger of the living

The beach seemed to be a contrast to space, the waves were peaceful and the setting sun was a sight to behold. But the real sight was the sky; many could see the chaos and explosions. Kira Yamato looked at the battle; knowing that the girl he loved and his best friend were right in the middle of it.

"Kira!"

He turned to Lacus, whom had two children at her side. Kira nodded his head, walking into the cabin. Murrue and Andy were helping the children and Malchio into the underground shelter, built courtesy of Andy's old ZAFT contacts. It was strong enough to survive the bombarded, but the children were still frightened. Kira shut the door behind him and took a seat, sitting with his "family" as he waited for the imminent bombardment. He remembered all the times he had fought, and the day he learnt of the atrocity committed by Sensou, one that had at one point threatened to break him and Flay apart.

It was an ordinary morning; Andy had coffee on the go while Lacus was making breakfast with the children. She was recovering from Gekido's death well; it had been the children that helped her to move on. Kira sat down on the table, reading over the paper that was sent to the house. He smirked at a picture of Tachi, Gekido's cloned adoptive brother. The young man had set up a respectable telecommunications company. He'd adjusted well to his "resurrection" and reinstatement into public life. Kira flipped the page, widening his eyes at the headline.

"**Sensou: Protectors or Tyrants?"**

He grabbed the TV remote and switched the channel to Orb news network. Reporters and journalists had gathered at a stand, with Flay addressing them.

"Miss Murrue, Mr Waltfeldt, Lacus come here!" Kira said.

The three former war leaders walked into the living room. Lacus gasped at what she saw while Andy and Murrue took seats. They both decided to watch before forming any opinions. Cameras flashed at Flay as she spoke of Sensou's actions.

"As you are each well aware Commander Rach had destroyed the True Faith terrorist faction, his actions while controversial have undeniably saved lives" Flay said.

"Excuse me Chairwoman Alster, Gardner Fox CTN news, is it true that Sensou acted without any sanction from the Alliance government?"

"Sensou is not under the command of the Alliance!" Flay growled.

"But you can't deny that the Alliance wanted True Faith destroyed as well"

"Yes they did want True Faith gone, whether it was because of the threat they represented to the people or the democratic system I can not comment or speculate on, what I can tell you is that True Faith had launched unprovoked attacks on civilian regions and had every intention to repeat those attacks"

"Chairwoman, Evan Davis from the BBC, many are saying that his is the beginning of Sensou's fall into a tyrant regime, what do you have to say to that?"

Flay paused for a moment and Kira was dreading the answer.

"At this point Sensou has no intention of becoming an organisation that fits the description of "tyrants" but as history recalls tyrants that have ruled over countries have been the only source of order, when those tyrants are eliminated the people of that country hate the country that freed them, we will do the same, eliminate tyrants who commit crimes against humanity…then we will simply leave the country to elect another leader" Flay explained.

"And what if that leader becomes a tyrant?"

"Then we repeat the process of attack and eliminate until the leaders of that country learn that "this" is the line and if you cross that line you will be bought down"

She didn't sound like the girl he had known on the Archangel. Flay sounded more like a hardened war veteran, but she had never really been a soldier.

"Mary Collins, PLANT news network, a lot of Plant citizens are saying that the leadership of Sensou should have been left to Lacus Clyne, what's your opinion of that statement?"

"No comment!"

"Chairwoman is it true that Commander Rach was the only soldier to be deployed in the True Faith extermination? And if so are there any concerns over his mental state?"

"To be honest yes there have been concerns but I assure you that he is perfectly capable of leading Sensou, now if you excuse me I have more Sensou business to attend to, any further questions you have can be asked on the fourteenth next week" Flay said.

Kira gasped as the news the explained what had happened to the religious group known as true faith. A few days later, Flay came back to Orb for her monthly reunion with Kira. The two sat on the edge of the cliff face, behind Gekido's grave overlooking the sea. Kira had his arm wrapped around Flay's waist while Flay rested her head on his shoulder.

"Why did he do it?" Kira asked.

"What's that Kira?" Flay asked.

"Vincent Rach, why did he have to kill them, not all of those people might have agreed with what was going on, and the child soldiers could have been reintegrated into society" Kira explained.

Flay got off the floor, hugging her arms as she walked away from Kira.

"Is that how you see it?" She asked.

"Lacus sees it that way, from what I've heard Canard and Lowe saw it that way too" Kira said.

"Really? Well if that's your opinion I cant change it, but I can honestly say that what he did wasn't right, even he says that it wasn't right, but what he did saved lives"

Kira gasped, getting off the floor and grabbing Flay's shoulders.

"Is that the kind of person you are now Flay, is that the kind of legacy Gekido left, "if you don't play ball we'll kill you and everyone important to you" is that what Gekido would have wanted?"

"OF COURSE NOT KIRA!" Flay yelled, swinging round to face her boyfriend.

Kira widened his eyes, stepping back as Flay wiped a tear from her eye.

"You and Lacus weren't there Kira, you weren't in the position to make judgements, Vincent's choice tore him apart inside, you should have seen him, he was cradling a burning child in his hands, that's why he wears those gloves, to hide the burns on his hands, to hide the shame he feels everyday and will continue to feel until the day he dies" Flay explained. "Your some all powerful Ultimate coordinator Kira, do you understand the concept of scars?" She asked.

"I…"

"Have no scars Kira, you don't have any scars I should know after all, you survive countless battles, you survive an explosion and still you have not a single scar to show for it, your lack of scars isn't just a show of your strength, it's a show of your lack of dedication"

"Flay that isn't fair" Kira said.

"Well get used to those kind of judgements Kira because Vincent sure has to…I love you Kira, I do but you need to understand others, I'll see you again next week Kira, I need to get back to work"

She kissed him then left, Kira didn't even have the heart to walk her to the airport. He looked at his body in the mirror; it didn't have scars or burns, nothing to show that he had been a soldier once. A few days later, Kira and the "family" sat at the TV, watching as the media waited for Flay to give another speech. But much to their surprise, Vincent walked out onto the stage. He had dark rings under his eyes, and his uniform wasn't as clean as you'd expect it to be.

"Hello everyone, you all know me as Commander Rach, I'm here to answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability"

There was a moment of silence before a reported raised her hand.

"Excuse me Commander, do you believe that fans of her are correct when they say that Lacus Clyne should have led Sensou?"

"Commander are the rumours true that Lacus is a secret founder of Sensou?"

"Can you offer any insight onto where Lacus may be?"

"Do you think its time to step down and offer leadership to more affective people?"

Vincent gripped the microphone before slamming his hand against the stand. The reporters stopped asking their questions and gasped as Vincent spoke.

"I'll answer your questions with a question of my own, where were you?" He asked.

Kira looked at Vincent curiously while the journalists whispered amongst themselves.

"I'M ASKING YOU LACUS CLYNE WHERE WERE YOU!" Vincent yelled.

Lacus widened her eyes, putting a hand to her mouth. It was as if Vincent was looking straight at her, his eyes lit up with contempt and hatred.

"Where were you when my men and I were digging bodies out of the rubble, where were you when my men were sacrificing life and limb in the frontline to face people who refused to accept the peace, where were you when I watched hundreds die on hospitals, where were you when the parents of children spat in my face cursing me for not being able to protect their prides and joys…I'll tell you, I'll tell all of you where she was"

He grinded his teeth together, tears falling from his face as he looked at the cameras, seemingly looking into Lacus's eyes.

"SINGING ON A BEACH SOMEWHERE! TUCKING SOME KIDS INTO BED! LIVING OFF THE PEACE THAT MEN AND WOMEN CONTINUE TO DIE FOR! You lectured others about peace, you self righteously and arrogantly put yourself on a pedestal and preached about peace and the sacrifices of others, but in the end your not the one fighting, your not the one who has to see the faces of the people, the voices of the people that he has killed every night…and Gekido, he thought you'd be the first person to sacrifice your happiness, the first person to put themselves forward in order to defend a peace that his brothers in arms died in order to get, don't any of you dare even mention the name Lacus Clyne to me again because Lacus Clyne is the last person you should trust with the responsibility of Sensou…no more questions, no more!" He whispered, walking away from the stand.

Lacus looked at the screen with tears in her eyes. Later that night, she thrashed around in her sleep. Not even her dreams offered her comfort from what Vincent had said. She saw the twisted bodies of people whom had died.

"Where were you?" They asked.

"They're right Lacus!"

Lacus turned her head, widening her eyes as she saw the edge of a cliff face. Standing at the edge of the cliff was the man that Lacus saw in her dreams everyday. He was wearing his sleeveless grey top and cargo pants. His wild grey hair was just as she remembered it.

"Gekido!" Lacus whispered.

He turned around, both his eyes were intact and they were as peaceful as Lacus remembered. She ran forward, her nightgown shifting into the white and purple dress she had worn when they first met. With a jump she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his. He gripped the back of her shoulders, keeping his eyes open while she closed her peacefully.

"They're right Lacus, you didn't sacrifice anything" Gekido said.

Lacus let go of Gekido, looking at him in confusion. He grinded his teeth together, his eyes giving off a faint glow as his cyber suit covered his body. Suddenly his arm shot out, grabbing Lacus's neck. She gripped his fingers, choking as Gekido lifted her off the ground.

"War will come again, because you sat back to enjoy the peace" Gekido said.

He turned around, dangling Lacus off the edge of the cliff. His eyes glowed intensely with the hatred he only felt for his enemies.

"Gekido" Lacus whispered.

She would wake up from those dreams sweating, with Murrue offering her comfort and a shoulder to cry on. Now they sat in a shelter, awaiting the end of the world. They were the lucky ones regular civilians were less fortunate. In major cities, Alliance and Sensou jeeps were rolling across streets. A ground GM placed several civilians on the path towards one of the air transports. Sensou troops were working on overtime trying to evacuate some areas.

"The whole city, there's no possible way we could evacuate every inch of New York, hell the people are in uproar hear" A Sensou commander said over the radio.

"I don't care how long it takes, just make sure you get people out of any tall buildings, those things are targets for falling debris"

"Yes Director Argyle"

In Moscow, hate was already beginning to form as riots broke out. Looters seeking to rob stores and racists attacking Coordinators on the streets, they were already beginning to point fingers. A thug loaded a pistol, moving towards a green haired coordinator.

"YOUR PEOPLE PUT THAT THING IN THE SKY!" He yelled.

A gunshot echoed through the streets. But it wasn't the thug's gun. A tall Earth Alliance officer had his smoking gun pointed at the air, a platoon of soldiers and riot police. He walked into the middle of the crowd, narrowing his eyes at the smaller men.

"Your acting like a bunch of DOGS!" He roared. "This isn't the time to be pointing fingers, take your families and your loved ones as far away from this region as possible, if any coordinator citizens are attacked I will see all of you put into jail cells in the city and I will make sure your still in there once debris starts falling"

The rioters lowered their weapons, letting the coordinator go. An Earth Alliance soldier rushed towards the officer, holding a telegram. He read the message, shaking his head as he ripped the paper apart. Removing a map from his coat he took his men to a jeep, laying out the map onto the hood of the vehicle.

"Intel suggests that this area will be free from bombardment, I want that area clear of civilians" He explained.

"But Commander Alhazard, Intel assures us that that area wont be hit" A soldier said.

"The Intel came from the Kushneve party, they were one of the communications companies accused of war profiteering from the Junius Seven tragedy, their Intel is unreliable" Bhishma explained.

"But sir!"

"If my instincts prove to be wrong then you can all testify against me at the court martial but I assure you I will not let any of my people die because of the selfishness of aristocrats, now you have your orders, fulfil them"

The Russian officer climbed into a jeep, loading a shotgun and driving towards another area rich in riots. He pulled out a phone, pressing it against his ear.

"Thank you for the real Intel" He said.

"It's no problem, I'll forward any more Intel to you, please make sure the theatre district is also evacuated"

"We will save as many lives as we can Mr Isfrail!" Bhishma said.

On the other end of the line, the man sitting at his desk sighed as he hung up. His brown hair was slicked back and his green eyes had a slight shine to them. He looked at a picture on his desk, the image of a beautiful violet haired woman standing with the Russian theatre in the background. A small box was set out beside the frame, the kind that contained rings of a special nature. "Mr Isfrail" removed a cigarette from his pocket, lighting the tip and blowing a cloud of smoke into the room.

"Excuse me Director Isfrail, the director of the alliance colonial affairs and Senator Khushrenada are on the line" A blue haired woman said.

"Thank you Jessica, please patch them through" Isfrail said, gripping his cane tightly.

Jessica tapped a button on her pad, bringing up two screens in front of Isfrail. One of the screens showed a purple haired man, wearing a white officers uniform whilst the other showed a blonde haired man wearing a business suit. Both were men of the battlefield and men of politics, as well as people whom Isfrail couldn't decide whether he liked or not.

"Scirocco, Treize, how may I help you?" Isfrail asked.

"Jeremiah Isfrail, see you still haven't cut the cancer sticks" Paptimus Scirocco said.

"What do you two want?" Jeremiah asked again.

"We want to know what steps the Earth Alliance is taking to stop Junius Seven" Treize said.

"Presently there is nothing that can be done on our part to stop the fall, though Sensou representatives assure me that their space teams are doing everything they can to stop this" Jeremiah explained.

"Civilians will believe you but don't take us for idiots Jeremiah" Scirocco said.

"If that's the case what are you doing Paptimus?" Jeremiah asked.

Scirocco smiled, removing several files from his desk.

"Right now I am having food sent to refugee camps, I am also having nuclear missiles launched towards Junius Seven in an attempt to by time for ZAFT and Sensou" Scirocco explained.

"I have kept several Virgo units in storage, I've already had them deployed for space in order to shoot down debris and such" Treize said.

"At this point that is all we have to offer, I regret that some people in the Alliance have been "unable" to launch ships at this time" Jeremiah said, stabbing his cigarette into an ashtray.

"I see, perhaps you might want to get on the horn to Djibril, I've heard he has a fortune comparable to the one I made in Jupiter" Scirocco said.

Jeremiah shook his head; though he was thankful that the two men were doing what they could to assist he didn't appreciate Scirocco's condescending tone. Though Treize didn't show it he also knew exactly what Djibril was up to.

"Thank you for your help gentleman, keep yourselves safe"

He disconnected the communication link and got off his chair. Jessica got out of his way as he hobbled towards the exit.

"Jessica I want you to contact Djibril and find out what the fuck he and his cronies are doing, I don't care whether their in the middle of a horse race or whether the freaks bloody getting make up put on, you find him and you get him talking to me clear?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes sir"

She knew he didn't mean to sound angry with her, on the contrary he was angry with the people who right now weren't doing anything. At a small upper class clubhouse, upper class men were relaxing and drinking. They discussed the fall of Junius Seven, but there was no dedication or desperation in their voices.

"The point is the Earth is in danger because of something that the coordinators put in space" Djibril, the leader of this meeting said.

He smirked as the other men agreed with him.

"When all is said and done, people will ask us why did this happen? And we will give them an answer, the coordinators…we once worked with them to eliminate the rogue Uragiri, a mistake on our part, relying on those coordinators like that" Djibril explained.

"A large majority of the people would probably want to go back to that alliance, not to mention we have campaigners to acknowledge that fool Gekido Jaeger's actions" One business man said.

"The thought of it is tempting but still foolish" Said another.

"War will come, and when the war is over it will be we who move the world into a new world order, for the sake of our blue pure world" Djibril smiled.

The men stopped what they were doing as they heard someone laughing at the window. He stood with his back to them, looking out of the window. A teenage girl was with him, sitting at a chair with a bored expression on her face. Her obvious sister stood beside her, with a much more mature figure than the fifteen year old. Both girls had grey hair and blue eyes. The man they followed looked away from the window, his blue eyes practically shining as he looked at the men standing before him. While they wore sharp and fancy clothing his wardrobe consisted of a tacky second hand business suit. His white hair was short but his bangs hung over his eyes, the left bang was a dull grey colour.

"Pure blue world, what a foolish concept, purity is something that can't exist in humans, we're too selfish and vain" He explained, lazily walking across the room.

He picked up a wine bottle, pulling off the cork and smirking as the foam splashed across the floor. Djibril grinded his teeth together getting off his chair and walking towards the man.

"You may have provided us with the technology necessary to create the Purpose Mark 2's but from what I've been told one has gone rogue" Djibril said.

"Another example of impurity, me making a mistake, it could happen to anyone Djibril, it just so happens my mistakes piss you off, you've gotta love coincidence" The white haired man said.

"I invited you here to discuss our future plans for war"

"And I really don't appreciate the invitation, has it occurred to you that instead of playing pool and riding your little horses you could be gaining popularity by playing the valiant heroes helping with evacuation, that's another impurity of yours"

"You are…"

"Correct in my assessments, now the future, we've got all the tech that we'll need, we just need to improve our pilots and our image, I believe Jeremiah Isfrail can assist us in this" The man explained, pouring some of the wine down his throat.

The sisters walked across the room, the elder looked at the men in disdain while the sister poked one of the pool balls. She innocently smiled at the men glaring at her before she skipped to her leader's side.

"Aniki, this place is boring" She said, whining as she fell back onto another chair.

Her elder sister coughed, standing like a professional.

"Don't worry Tania, we'll go do something fun later, right now Aniki needs to settle a little business" The man said, patting the girls head with a smile.

"But Niiii-san!"

"Enough of this Heiwa, do you seriously think you can interfere with our plans?" Djibril asked.

"I'm only trying to improve them, Durandal will no doubt have some way of glorifying his reasons for fighting so we should have some way of winning the people over…other than the "we hate coordinators and they need to die" campaign, a new campaign is also something Jeremiah can have, also I've already gotten word from my contacts that we have a potential hero to use, Simon Hunter, he can be the example that our soldiers fight beside" Heiwa, the white haired man explained as he placed the half empty brother back on the table.

"Brother, the men are ready to start assisting with evacuation efforts" The elder sister said.

"Thank you Nina, tell the colonel that we'll leave to assist as soon as I arrive" Heiwa said.

"From what I've heard you seem to be nothing like Gekido Jaeger" Djibril said.

"The resemblance ends with our blood and hair Djibril" Heiwa smirked, putting his hands in his pockets and walking towards the exit.

"Tell me Heiwa Jaeger, what do you have to gain from our schemes?" Djibril asked.

"A purpose of my own!"

Heiwa slammed the door shut behind him and walked with his siblings down the courtyard steps. They walked towards a black car with scratches on the bonnet. Djibril looked at Heiwa from the window, glaring at the back of his head. Heiwa knew that Djibril was glaring and was amused at the man's pathetic idea of courage.

"Aniki, what game are we going to play?" Tania asked.

"Find as many people as you can and get them to the big transport, then we'll watch the shooting stars okay"

Tania smiled hugging Heiwa's arm as they drove away. The driver unrolled the window and threw his lunch bag at a group of passing aristocrats.

"Stefan, that's not necessary" Nina said.

"Yeah, but damned if it ain't fun" Stefan said, lifting up his cap to reveal blue eyes and strands of grey hair.

"Do you think Simon will be happy so see us?" Tania asked, dropping her innocent expression.

Heiwa didn't answer the question; instead he patted the youngster's head. He looked out of the window and up at the sky. Djibril would use rage to drive the world to war. Heiwa assisted in this goal, but he really hated it when people were angry with others.

* * *

Anger was felt across the world and even in space. Branden yelled, flying straight towards the Slaughter Gundam. Bullets and beams flew across the wreckage of Junius Seven. Rey fired two blasts, hitting a GINN in the chest. Luna flipped her Zaku backwards, throwing a beam axe at the Gaia. Stella ran towards the red Zaku, igniting her beam wings. Suddenly, the Monger and the Liberty burst out of the colony, throwing the Zaku and Gaia into the air.

"DAMN YOU!" Simon yelled.

The Monger blocked the Liberty's sword, swinging back with its sabre. Both machines grabbed one another's wrists and dragged one another across the side of the colony. Luna threw a volley of grenades at the Gaia, throwing it backwards. A piece of rubble was split apart and Lucifer flew towards Rey's Zaku. Rey swung around, blocking the Fallen's sabre with his shoulder shield. Stella yelled in fury, firing her cannons at Luna's Zaku.

"Oi Rey, we're being held back by rubble at the moment, you guys are on your own while we make our way back to our home ships" Noah explained.

"Very well, thank you for the help you gave us Commander" Rey said.

He knocked the Fallen back, firing more beam blasts at the machine. Joe swung his sabre into a GINN, slicing it in half.

"These people are so angry" Anna said.

"Watch yourself girl!" Joe said, deflecting a funnel beam with his sword.

"Everyone be careful the funnels aren't to be taken lightly" Zack said.

He yelled, pulling his mobile suit back as the Liberty and Monger dashed past him. They had been inches from slamming into his mobile suit. Simon kicked the Monger in the chest, yelling as he fired Vulcan bullets into the machine's arm. Across the colony, Athrun, Yzak and Dearka were defending the breaker teams. Shinn swung his sabre wildly at the Mercy while Sato stared down Dagger's Black Gundam.

"Dagger Thanos, I thought you of all people would understand what we're trying to achieve" Sato said.

"I would hardly call this an "eye for an eye", I killed a large majority of the people that shattered this colony, I saw it for myself Sato…forget it, I can see that your just a mad dog now…put him down!" Dagger said.

The Black Zaku Kai's suddenly flew downwards, firing at the GINN's. Silver Mask yelled as he kicked the Monger across the head, causing Tyrant to grip his own face.

'No, the neural uplink is too strong, if I don't severe the connection then he'll destroy my brain cells' Tyrant thought.

Silver Mask punched the Monger across the face, shattering its eyes. He sheathed his sword, grabbing the rail rifle and aiming it at the Monger. The Black Zaku Kai's attacked the GINN's while Dagger landed in front of the Jegan.

"Whose side will you take Vincent Rach?" Dagger asked.

"The side of the victims in this conflict" Vincent said.

"And who are the victims, the naturals or the coordinators?"

"Isn't it obvious, it's both!" Vincent growled.

"Then the decisions you will have to make will be the hardest of your life" Dagger said.

Sato swung his sword into a Zaku Kai's shield, yelling as he pushed it back. Lain threw her axe, cutting apart the GINN's gun.

"How dare you wear that flight suit, you're a disgrace to ZAFT!" Lain said.

"GO SATO! STOP THE BREAKER TEAMS!" A GINN pilot yelled, firing at the back of the Zaku Kai's.

They turned around, one by one cutting the GINN apart. Lain then screamed in fury as she rammed her fist through the cockpit, crushing the pilot inside. Nia and Yzak fired their Gatling guns, keeping the funnels on the move. With the other mobile suits the funnels were already beginning to dominate them. Mayura grinded her teeth together as several of the funnels shot her mobile suits arms off.

"MAYURA! ANNA!" Zack yelled.

"They're everywhere" Anna said.

"Concentrate Anna, track their movements based on their momentum just like we practiced"

Kojiro clicked a few buttons inside the cockpit, causing the Kenshin's horsehairs to spread out, revealing the face of the Gundam. Its eyes pulsed, as the hair seemingly grew longer, touching the funnels. Kojiro then ignited the beam blade on his spear and with one swing he slashed four funnels apart. Suddenly a rail rifle blast cut five more apart. Branden turned his head, widening his eyes at the Dusk Aero.

"That rail rifle, it couldn't be!" Branden said.

"PAY ATTENTION KAMAL!" Darcel yelled.

The Slaughter suddenly drew two sabres, slamming them into Branden's shoulders.

"SHIT!" Branden yelled.

He fired his Vulcan's into the Slaughter's head, but Darcel quickly swung around, slashing the Murasama across the head. Branden yelled, swinging his leg into the Slaughter's chest. As Darcel was thrown backwards, he fired a volley of missiles. With every missile that slammed into his machine a part of Branden's visor cracked. He yelled, firing his chest beam at the Slaughter as it recovered from the earlier kick.

"Admirable effort but your STILL PATHETIC!" Darcel yelled.

The Newtype pulse he generated tore the beam from the Murasama to shreds. He then fired his chest Gatling guns, widening his eyes as Rey's Zaku slammed into the side of the Murasama. The White Zaku flew the Murasama out of the debris and towards the Minerva. Marcus pushed his blades against the shields of one of the Purpose units. He swung around, kicking another across the chest. Rey blocked a shot from the sniper unit; the Minerva fired a volley of missiles to distract it as the Zaku walked into the hanger.

"Have a medical team standing by for the Murasama pilot, I'm going back out there" Rey said.

"Negative Rey, the Junius Seven will soon be approaching gravity range of Earth" Meyrin said.

"Instead aid the Zaku Kai pilot" Talia said.

Stella screamed, shooting her cannons at the red Zaku. Zack flew headfirst into the Gaia, ripping off its wing.

"Have them retreat now" Neo said.

Lee nodded his head, commanding the crew to launch the signal flares. Lyna fired several beams into Mayura's shield, turning to the ship as the signal flares were launched.

"Its time to retreat, everyone lets go!" Lucifer said.

Darcel shook his head while Sting and Auel eagerly made their way back to the Girty Lue. Nia shot a GINN apart while Yzak sliced another in half.

"Almost there" Athrun said.

"NO!" Sato yelled.

Santo and the last few of his men frantically fired their beam rifles at the breaker team. Athrun drew a beam axe, blocking Sato's sword with his shield.

"YOU'RE LIVING IN A DAMN DREAM WORLD LAUGHING WITH THE BUTCHERS WHO CAUSED THIS TRAGEDY!" Sato yelled.

Athrun ignored the man's words, slashing back with his axe.

"ZAFT has been weakened by the likes of Lacus Clyne, Patrick Zala knew it all along, the only true path for coordinators was the one he chose for us"

Athrun widened his eyes, images of his fathers madness flashed before his eyes. Genocide for every last natural, standing before him was a man driven insane by his beliefs. That was the legacy that his father left behind.

"DON'T YOU DARE LISTEN TO HIM ZALA!"

Sato swung around, widening his eyes as the Jegan flew towards him. By its side were the Black Gundam and the Impulse. The Mercy Gundam had long since retreated from the area. Dagger and his men split off, while the Zaku Kai's fought the remaining GINN's.

"GO VINCENT RACH! DESTROY THAT MANS TWISTED VISION!" Dagger yelled.

"Athrun, Yzak, Nia, help Shinn and Commander Thanos with the third breaker unit, on his signal activate all three of them at once" Vincent explained.

"Are you…"

"We don't have time to argue Shinn" Nia said.

The Zaku's and the Gundam's grabbed the side of the unoccupied breaker and slammed it into the surface of the colony. A GM on the Sensou breaker team put its tumb up and one of the Guaiz's offered a salute. Two GINN's flew at the Joule breaker team, only to be shot down by Dearka.

"Do it now!" He said.

Lain sliced two more GINN's in half, putting a hand to her chest as Dagger gave the order.

"NOW!"

"NOOOO!" Sato yelled.

The three breakers drilled three holes into the centre of the colony. And three explosions sent cracks and ripples across every inch of the colony. Finally, the colony was split apart with only seconds left until it had crossed the line. Arthur sighed in relief while Talia and Bright narrowed their eyes. Vincent turned two holographic dials on his screen, bringing up the words ARC. Sato growled as he rushed forward. Suddenly a beam blade erupted from the Jegan's shield. It appeared as if it was a solid white blade surrounded by crackling pink energy.

"The original arc was a shield, the Burning Jegan has converted the energy of the Arc reactor into a blade that will cut through even your hatred" Vincent growled.

"You couldn't possible understand what I've lost" Sato said.

"The same old excuse for murder isn't it, "they took away my loved ones", "they live in peace and ignorance" "they are naturals" the path of genocide is never the answer!" Vincent said, flying straight towards the GINN. "I don't know what you've lost and I don't really care, but what I will say is this…you're…not… going…where they…ARE!" Vincent yelled and with each word he sliced off a limb of the GINN before plunging the blade straight through its chest.

Nothing was left of the GINN as the two sides of the colony began to fall. But still there were massive pieces of the colony falling towards Earth. Sensou and ZAFT crews widened their eyes as they saw green ships bigger than Nazca class carriers flying close to the planet. These ships had missile launchers and three two barrelled particle guns. Vincent and Dagger both looked at one another and nodded their heads.

"All Musai class carriers!" Dagger said.

"And all Sensou and ZAFT ships…"

"FIRE ON JUNIUS SEVEN!"

Next Chapter 10: Sorrow of the dead

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, The Thanos faction has the Musai's from the old Gundam series, next we'll see the piltos attemtping to escape the pull of Earth's gravity while a selection of returning characters and other series characters do what they can to prevent more damage to the Earth. plus the final battle between the Liberty and the Monger. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you thought of the chapter!


	11. Sorrow of the dead

"Yo, this is Joe Daigoji"

"And I'm Branden Kamal!"

"The guy who got ass kicked last chapter"

"KISS MY ASS!"

"Anyway we're here to introduce the first double chapter special of Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty and we have a special guest too, Silver Mask"

A screen suddenly popped out, revealing Silver Mask inside the cockpit of his machine.

"Hey folks, I'm rescuing some Thanos pilots right now so we need to make this quick" Silver Mask said.

Branden and Joe nodded their heads.

"There will be more chapters to come of this awesome tale of Gundams and their pilots, along with the dramas of war, friendship and even romance" Joe explained, presenting scenes of Flay and Kira.

"Also Dagger Thanos is now leading his own faction and is recruiting pilots into his growing army" Branden growled, squezing his fists together.

"In other words authors if you got a character of your own who you think gets on well with Dagger Thanos then put him forward" Silver Mask said.

"Plus like the original Purpose storyline Soldier-Ms will produce spinoffs, one of which will be out in a few days the Gundam 00 and Seed crossover known as Brave Hunt, Graham and Natarle hunt for Bogey and Aker's brave squadron gets caught in a deadly fight with the Purpose Mark 2's" Branden explained, bringing up a screen.

Graham: All of you survive, thats an order!

Natarle: Target bogey one!

Brave pilot: They're Purposes, the nightmares of the Earth Alliance

Graham: You...relit my spirit...LETS GO GUNDAM! TRANSAM!

"Man, Graham is epic when he yells" Joe said.

"Well thats it for now folks, enjoy the fic and need I remind you again Disclaimer: Soldier MS does not own the Gundam Franchise, also there is one final thing Soldier-Ms would like me to announce"

Joe and Branden looked at Silver Mask in confusion, this wasnt part of the script.

"Soldier MS would like to thank you loyal reviewers with a special gift, my true identity!"

Branden and Joe widened their eyes before the crew of the Minerva gathered around the screen. Silver Mask reached his hand to his mask, clutching it as the crew gasped. Suddenly, static spread across the screen.

"NOOO!" Joe and Branden yelled.

The crew walked away and the two pilots slumped their shoulders.

"So close!" They groaned.

Inside the Dusk's cockpit Silver Mask chuckled, his hand on the radio disconnect button. His mask was still on.

"What, you didn't think it'd be that easy did you, enjoy the special folks!"

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 10: Sorrow of the dead

The falling debris of Junius Seven could still cause catastrophic damage to areas of the Earth. And the pilots still needed to mop up the remains of the rebels. Flay closed her eyes as she watched the mobile suits begin their flight back to the Minerva. Tyrant kept his hands on his head, growling as he focused his attention on the retreating mobile suits.

"None of you will LEAVE HERE ALIVE!" He yelled.

He fired his funnels, sending a storm of beams raining down on Vincent's group.

"Shit, everybody defend yourselves" Vincent said.

"FIRE!" Bright yelled.

White Base fired its main guns, along with the Sensou Salamis Kai vessels. Natarle and her ship flew towards the area, bringing up its main particle gun.

"FIRE!" She yelled.

The crimson and blue beam flew towards the wreckage of Junius Seven, blowing up a town-sized meteor. Rick locked onto a small piece of rubble, firing his sniper rifle at the debris. A blue jet flew beside him, transforming into a mobile suit with thin arms and legs, a gold visor and red particles flowing out of its backpack.

"Yo Graham, I see you couldn't catch the Bogey" Rick said.

"The Gundams were good, almost killed my Brave Flag squadron" Graham Aker said.

The Flag fired its linear rifle, breaking down bits of debris and letting the atmosphere handle the rest. Black Storm Musai Class carriers fired their beam guns, breaking apart debris. Marcus slammed his sword into the sword wielding Purpose, showing no concern as the sniper one shot off a piece of his machine's shoulder. Luna flew around pieces of falling debris while the Kenshin sliced them apart. Kojiro remained calm, even as his mobile suit alarms warned him of the Earth's G –forces.

"Gravities a bitch!" Nia said.

"All of you keep your thrusters at maximum intensity, don't let yourselves be pulled in" Dagger said to his men.

"Yes sir!"

"Wait, where are Lain and Hannah?" Dagger asked.

Two Zaku Kai's were firing at the group of rebel GINN's. A GM's rocket pack sparked before exploding. Fortunately Nia managed to grab the GM's hand.

"God damn it, god fucking damn, I HATE THIS!" Nia yelled.

"Commander Rach, what are you doing?" The GM pilot asked.

"No one gets left behind!" Vincent said as he flew his Jegan through pieces of debris.

The Jegan grabbed the GM's other hand, helping Nia to fly it out of the gravity pull.

"Commander Thanos, we need to go back for Lain and Hannah" A Black Storm soldier said.

"My machine can survive re-entry but it's not big enough to insulate the Zaku Kai's from the heat" Dagger said.

"But sir Lain and Hannah…"

"Will be remembered, that's all soldiers like us can do"

Zack and Mayura rushed through pieces of falling debris with Anna following close behind them. She gasped as Simon and the Monger dashed past her. They slammed their blades together, showing no fear over the falling debris and gunshots around them. Anna put her hand to her head as she felt a surge of emotions from the two pilots.

"_He took away my comrades, he killed Magnus!"_

"_Come on, try and kill me bastard, help me fulfil my purpose!"_

Anna then widened her eyes, screaming as bodies floated in front of her. Simon and the Monger pilot both grunted, feeling the force of the Newtype wave. Energy crackled from the Neo Raptor, seeping from Anna's body. Zack turned his Neo Raptor around, widening his eyes in horror as he saw Anna's motionless mobile suit.

"ANNA!" He yelled.

Simon turned his head, grinding his teeth together as he saw Anna's mobile suit.

"DON'T TURN YOUR BACK!" The Monger pilot yelled.

He slammed his sabre against Simon's swords, pushing him back slightly. The Kenshin walked into the Minerva, followed slowly by Luna's Zaku. Luna took her helmet off as she got out of the cockpit.

"Where are Athrun and Shinn?" She asked.

Kojiro stroked his chin, typing the radio frequencies into his computer. Vincent's face appeared on screen.

"What's up Kojiro?" He asked.

"You appear to be late" Kojiro said.

"Don't worry we'll be…MINERVA HARD TO PORT NOW!" Vincent yelled.

Talia and Flay widened their eyes as a crimson beam scratched the side of the Minerva. Marcus looked back at the ship, shrugging his shoulders before flying away. The Purpose units had already retreated from the battlefield; whatever had attacked the Minerva was none of his concern. Neo looked at the floor of his ship in shock. One minute Tyrant had been complaining about headaches then he had just fallen to the floor. Lee removed the man's glove and checked his pulse, widening his eyes in shock.

"Captain, he's dead!" Lee said.

Outside, far away from the Girty Lue floated Tyrant's War Monger. But numerous plates on the mobile suit had folded open, practically expanding the armour. A portion of the chest was open, revealing two golden turbines. The tips of the fingers of the mobile suit also ignited five beam claws while the mouth portion of the head opened to reveal two more eyes. Static appeared on the screens of the mobile suit pilots as a voice spoke through the radio.

"Even in death we continue to serve his Lordship, we sacrificed everything in order to ensure that war rages on again!" Tyrant said as the "Monstrous" Monger rushed towards the remaining mobile suits at top speed.

"EVERYONE OPEN FIRE ON THAT MACHINE!" Vincent yelled.

"Do as Commander Rach says" Dagger said.

Yzak fired his Gatling guns while his Guaiz squadron opened fire with their rifles. The Zaku Kai's commenced firing with the Impulse and Athrun's Zaku. Dagger and Vincent fired his Vulcan's while Dagger aimed his sniper rifle.

"Hey bitches, don't steal my target" Silver Mask said.

Vincent looked at his side screen, gasping as the Dusk Aero flew towards the group. On the Aero's back were the two missing Zaku Kai's.

"Lain, Hannah!" One of the Zaku Kai pilots sighed in relief.

"It would have been a tragedy to lose you both before the war began" Dagger said.

"You are a fool Dagger Thanos, the WAR NEVER ENDED!" Tyrant yelled.

He flew forward, swinging his claws into Dagger's shoulder shield. Dagger huffed, drawing his beam sabre and swatting the claws aside. Lain jumped off of the Dusk Aero, firing her beam rifle at the Monger.

"Lain don't fight him!" Dagger said.

But the Monger quickly swung around, slicing the Zaku Kai's arms into ribbons. Dagger moved forward, tackling the Zaku Kai and moving it out of the Monger's grip. The Monger 's claws scratched the black Gundam's backpack. Suddenly, the Dusk Aero slammed into the Monger's chest, pushing it away from Thanos and Lain.

"Commander Thanos, I'm sorry…are you all right?" Lain asked.

"Keep yourself safe Lain" Dagger said.

The Monger roared, throwing the Dusk off of its flight path. Silver Mask transformed the Gundam back to mobile suit mode, swinging his fists at the sentient machine. Tyrant swung his claws around, missing Silver Mask's shoulder by inches. Silver Mask's eye shined as he drew his rail rifle. The Monger spread out its arms and the turbines on its chest began spinning around. Golden energy shined on the turbines before a crimson beam flew from the Monger's chest. Athrun, Shinn and Vincent widened their eyes as the Dusk barely dodged the beam.

"A warship destroyer!" Dagger said.

"You mean that beam could destroy a ship with one shot?" Yzak asked.

"Joule, go back to your ship and order to retreat, my men and I will do the same, Commander Rach and Zala, both of you go back to the Minerva or back to Sensou, either way make sure you get to a place where you'll be safe to land on Earth" Dagger explained.

"Do as he says guys, I've got this!" Silver Mask said.

"You've got this…YOU DISRESPECTFUL PUNK!" Tyrant yelled.

Silver Mask drew his cutlass, slamming it against Tyrant's claws. The remaining pilots of the Minerva began their flight back to the Minerva. But the Monger's funnels were still about, taking random shots at the fighter. One funnel fired a beam that destroyed Athrun's backpack. He bought of his shield, but a second funnel ignited a beam blade, piercing the Zaku's foot before blowing up. Vincent blocked a shot with his shield and fired back with his Vulcan's. Silver Mask dragged his sword against the Monger's claws, flipping back as Tyrant slashed back.

The Liberty swung its sword repeatedly at the Monger, sending sparks flying across the sky. Anna grinded her teeth together, taking her hands off her controls and clutching her head. Tears began to fall down her face as she saw countless people screaming and crying.

"They didn't want this!" She said. "THEY DIDN'T WANT REVENGE!"

Simon and the Monger pilot yelled, tearing apart the images of the souls of Junius Seven. The Liberty cut the Monger across the head, shattering the top left side of the pilot's helmet. His blue eyes glared as he punched the Liberty across the head. He drew a second beam sabre, flying forward and slamming them against the Liberty's sword. Anna let her hands go limp as she saw the remaining GINN's burn up on re-entry. The cockpit began to go red with alarms and sweat ran down the side of Anna's head.

"ANNA MOVE NOW!" Zack yelled over the crackling radio.

The Monger Pilot kicked the Liberty across the head, swinging a sabre into its sword. Simon slashed the Monger's shoulder, and then punched its faceplate. Another crack ran across the Monger Pilots visor as his machine began to glow red from the heat of the atmosphere.

"Not like this, NOT LIKE THIS!" He yelled.

He thrust his sabre forward, cutting the Liberty's shoulder. Then he slammed his fist into the Liberty's head and ignited his rockets.

"You think your better than me, simply because you kill for a flag, don't fuck with me you're as bad a murderer as I am…stop trying to hide the fact that we are all murderers with pathetic semantics" The pilot explained.

Simon dodged the sabre slash, kicking the Monger in the chest and sending it flying further back into the atmosphere. He looked to his right and grinded his teeth together. Anna's machine was starting to glow red.

"Simon, I wouldn't recommend attempting a rescue" Magnus said.

"Shut up, I'll save that machine" Simon said.

He moved forward, grabbing the Neo Raptors hand. The Liberty span around, igniting its rockets at full power before throwing the machine upwards. Anna widened her eyes, before flying the Neo Raptor away from the atmosphere. She huffed and puffed, taking off her helmet and letting sweat flying around the cockpit. Simon turned his machine around, holding out the Liberty's right hand.

"Whatever equipment I need for re-entry activate it now Magnus!" Simon said.

"Affirmative!"

Zack flew to Anna's side, watching as the remaining pieces of Junius Seven fell into the atmosphere. Tears ran down Anna's eyes as she heard the screams of people below.

"Damn them, how dare they do this to the Earth" Zack said.

"Ma'am we are beginning atmospheric re-entry" Arthur said.

Talia nodded her head, ordering her crew through re-entry protocols. Vincent, Athrun, Shinn and Nia flew as fast as they could back towards the Minerva. Tyrant fired his chest cannon, narrowly missing the group. Silver Mask fired his rail rifle, making Tyrant manoeuvre around and fire his funnels. He narrowly dodged a pink blast that flew towards a piece of colony rubble. A gold pair of eyes glowed inside the cockpit of a machine as the target cross hair went over a gigantic piece of what was left of Junius Seven.

"Virtue, target locked, engaging Hyper Burst mode" Tieria said.

He was wearing a purple flight suit with a gold visor, one that was a completely different design from the Sensou suits. His Gundam, a silver machine with extremely bulky armour lifted a massive cannon over its chest. The barrel opened and the Virtue's GN furnace emanated the gold particles as the GN bazooka charged. Other Sensou machines gathered around him, GM's with Hyper Bazooka's and ZAFT Gunner Zaku warriors. They fired their weapons, sending missiles and beams flying towards the meteor fragments. Virtue fired its GN Bazooka, firing a massive pink ball of crackling energy that slammed into the biggest fragments. Graham fired his rifle, hitting pieces of debris and falling meteor fragments. A blue and grey Gundam flew to the front of the Sensou forces. It threw aside its massive shield and drew a bazooka from its back.

"All forces, focus your firing on individual fragments, and check your targets damn it" Anavel Gato said, narrowing his eyes at his targets.

The Gundam Physalis fired its bazooka, sending a wave of nuclear energy flying into another gigantic fragment. Ships beside him began firing their collection of missiles into pieces of the colony. A red and White Gundam opened its chests and shoulders, revealing multiple Gatling guns and missile launchers. The green Gundam beside it also fired its Gatling gun and missile launchers.

"Leopard, Heavyarms, don't go gun crazy, make sure you actually hit what you shoot at" Nena said, flying past the two machines.

Nena widened her eyes as several more Gundam's flew past her. A mobile armour with blue colours and red wings flew at the lead. It had a red shield with a gold cross on top of it and was firing its side cannons at the debris. The Astray Blue Frame fired its Lohengrin Launchers, while a grey and red Zaku fired its shoulder cannons and foot missile launchers.

"So what are we fighting for here Gai?" Elijah Kiel asked.

"Earth's survival, plus the money that Flay Alster had sent us, the situations worse than I thought if Sensou has its Black OP's department in the open" Gai Murakumo said.

"I've heard the G-wing is piloted by a very ruthless pilot" Elijah said.

Suddenly, a pair of beams flew into another piece of debris, turning Elijah's attention away from the Earth. He widened his eyes as he saw a blue and white Gundam, the Dreadnought but with a cannon based backpack and a submachine gun. Dagger's Black Gundam flew to its side and also began firing its shoulder cannon.

"That machine with Thanos, that's Canard Pars" Elijah said.

"So that's where Canard went when he left Sensou" Gai said.

The G-wing flew around debris as the Jegan got further and further behind the other machines. Vincent looked to his right, sighing in relief as the G-wing released the shield it was carrying. The Jegan grabbed the shield, holding it in front as Vincent began re-entry procedures.

"The First Gundam shield was specifically built to ensure that a machine and pilot would survive re-entry" Vincent said.

"Damn it, I don't think I can make it back to the Minerva!" Nia said.

The G-wing flew underneath the Zaku and Nia took that as the signal she needed. She landed her Zaku on the G-wing's back and hoped it was built for re-entry. Shinn held out his own shield while Athrun began to use his own shield to absorb the heat of re-entry.

"Athrun, I'll help you" Shinn said.

"No Shinn, the Impulse has enough power to get back to the Minerva, save yourself" Athrun said.

"Don't be so noble you idiot, say something like "help me you bastard""

Athrun was about to respond when he alarm suddenly went off. He looked to his side, widening his eyes as a group of funnels flew above his Zaku. Shinn aimed his rifle, grinding his teeth together in frustration. If he fired he might have missed and hit Athrun, he couldn't afford to take the risk. Athrun braced himself before a red and blue beam flew out of space. The beam bent round, destroying the funnels and easily missing Athrun's Zaku. Shinn looked to his side, gasping at what he saw. It was a black and green Gundam wielding a double bladed scythe. The machines head was hidden by its folded back pack, a dome shaped pack with a V-fin and eyes and four shields, two in front and two at the back.

"Is that the Forbidden?" Shinn asked.

"Eh never thought we'd be saving coordinators Forbidden Darkness!" Shani Andras smirked.

His upgraded machine flew upwards, leaving the leader of the Black Ops department of Sensou to look after Vincent and the Minerva. With the Sensou fleet, the GM's flew aside as a machine twice the size of them flew to the front. On its broad shoulders were two double-barrelled cannons while its chest had an impulse cannon and a pair of Gatling guns on its upper chest. It also held a Triskeros Kai shield with missiles and beam rifles and a Sensou Hyper Bazooka. The Gundam's armour was a blue colour with white legs, hands and face and a gold V-Fin.

"Mass Calamity" One of the Sensou pilots said, gulping because he knew whom the pilot was.

Orga Sabnak yelled as he fired his upgraded Calamity's cannons, hitting the other pieces of debris. However despite the intervention of Sensou, pieces of Debris were still hitting islands and cities in Earth. Darcel's hands shivered as he felt the pain of the people below. A part of him wanted to laugh, but another part was disgusted.

"How dare they, those bastards, did they learn nothing, has nothing changed, change cant happen unless people understand one another, things will never change, they couldn't move on!"

Sting and Auel looked at one another and then at Darcel as he spoke gibberish. Jone leant his head against the glass, sighing at the death and destruction.

"Are they going to die?" Stella asked.

"Of course they're going to die" Lyna scoffed.

"You say that Lyna and yet there are tears in your eyes" Lucifer said.

Lyna widened her eyes in shock, looking at the tears floating before her. Tyrant yelled as he slammed his claws against Silver Mask's rail rifle, pushing him into the atmosphere above the Minerva.

"BASTARD! I SACRIFICED SO MUCH FOR URAGIRI AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU DESTROYED HER!" Tyrant yelled.

"A proud achievement of ours" Silver Mask said.

"I'll kill you, I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Tyrant yelled as he charged his cannon.

Silver Mask sighed, kicking off of the Monger and landing on the Minerva. He fired his rail rifle, hitting the Monger dead centre in the chest. The Tyrant's chest suddenly exploded, revealing the mobile suit generator. Tyrant moved his hand; the beam claws flickering like the machine's eyes.

"For his lordship" Tyrant growled.

"For the friend she took away" Silver Mask whispered.

He pulled the trigger, sending another rail blast flying into the Monger's generator. Static screamed over the radio as the Monger exploded in a flash of light and energy. Silver Mask turned his machine around, crouching it on the floor and leaning back as the Minerva went through re-entry. Sweat began to roll down the pilot's faces as the cockpits of their machines turned red.

"Vincent Rach!" Zack said.

"God, is that you?" Vincent asked.

"Jackass, I'm conveying my voice with my Newtype abilities, I just wanted to say sorry for hitting you, I just cant stand it when Mayura cries, she did it for days when her friends Asagi and Juri died" Zack explained.

"I understand, see you again sometime Zack" Vincent said.

"Sooner than you think, I can already hear them crying out for vengeance"

Vincent nodded his head, keeping his eyes focused on the Earth. Months ago he had stood at a memorial to the soldiers lost during the Bloody Valentine war. He rubbed his face, looking up at the statues of Strike Daggers and their pilots. Back when he was a pilot of the Earth Alliance things seemed simpler. He was given orders and then he carried them out, but he never expected his life to take this kind of turn. Sighing, Vincent saluted the soldiers and turned around to walk away. But he stopped when he bumped into a familiar face.

"Christina!" Vincent said.

The red haired girl widened her eyes in shock. She was wearing a white top with a yellow skirt and looked at Vincent as if she had seen a ghost. Her hand reached to touch the burn mark on Vincent's face, but stopped as he stepped back. Vincent could hardly believe his eyes as he saw Christina Mackenzie hesitantly smile. They walked over to a nearby café and began talking.

"What are you doing at Alliance headquarters?" Vincent asked.

"I'm a test pilot, I figured it'd be safer than your own military route" Christina said, running a hand over her hair as the wind blew.

"Well you look good Christina" Vincent said.

"And your…really burned, didn't you consider surgery Vince?" Christina asked.

"I keep them as a reminder, though people keep mistaking me for Graham Aker…since our facial scars are in the same place" Vincent nervously rubbed his head.

Christina touched Vincent's gloved hands, smiling as he chuckled.

"A Dark sense of humour is a sign of a healthy mind Vincent, or at least that's what my flight instructors always told me"

"Yeah"

Christina took Vincent's hand and began to slip his glove off.

"No Christina" Vincent said.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't want to put you off your meal, my hands got some burns from that mission I took a while back"

"Oh, I'd read about that"

"And…"

"What!"

"What did you think when you heard?" Vincent asked.

"I thought what did the war do to you Vincent?" Christina asked.

"It changed me Christina, that's why I broke up with you before Panama, because I knew that I'd be doing things you might not agree with, I saw a part of the Earth Alliance that no one wants to think exists, people who I once saw as good men tried to kill defenceless prisoners, I saw our enemy as victims, avengers, monsters and us as the same, I knew you wouldn't like the person who would come home to you" Vincent explained.

"I see, so are you seeing anyone?"

"No!"

"Liar, is she a hottie?"

Vincent laughed while Christina smiled.

"What about you, any lucky guys?" Vincent asked.

"Just one lucky guy, he's a cute blonde, likes to think he's a hot shot but I could beat him" Christina smirked.

"You make sex sound like a mobile suit battle"

This time Christina laughed, causing Vincent to smile. They hadn't spoke to one another in years and yet they were still getting along. As they ate they spoke about their jobs and their family. With the way Christina talked about him Vincent really wished he could meet her new boyfriend. Either they would hate one another or they'd fit into the cliché of the current and the ex becoming best friends. They both laughed at that joke as they ate their meal. Some were taken aback by Vincent's mere presence. It wasn't just his reputation but his scars as well. Professional soldiers knew that the scars were a reflection of Vincent's skill more than his dedication.

"It was good to see you Vincent, I hope we see each other again one day" Christina said.

He nodded, shaking her hand and walking away from one another. On the plane to Orb, Vincent went over the plans for Orb's new Murasame mobile suits. They were within the treaties and a balance of speed and combat abilities, so nothing that could wipe out a country. Looking over the Orb factories was a boring exercise, or at least a patience testing one. Yuna Roma Seiran was his tour guide and Vincent was glad Gekido hadn't met the man; cause Yuna would be dead within seconds of opening his mouth. Aristocratic arrogance practically dripped off of him. He didn't actually know shit about mobile suits and combat, although he apparently played a lot of war games. Vincent even shook the mans hand without his gloves on, creeping the young noble out of his wits. Then after thoroughly washing his hands he left the factory. There was one more memorial he had to visit.

"Good to see you again old friend" Vincent said, looking at the shattered helmet of Gekido Jaeger. "I wonder whether you found it this hard" He chuckled.

In truth Gekido wouldn't have lasted a month as leader of an organisation like this. Vincent smiled at that thought as he increased the Jegan's speed. He flipped several switches, opening the Jegan's vents. The black suited pilot of the G-wing also opened the mobile armours vents. Nia sighed as the temperature of her own mobile suit began to cool down. Simon watched the Monger as its wings began to melt. Inside the pilot yelled as sweat ran down his head.

"Damn it burnt to death like this…NO!" He yelled.

He and his mobile suit raised their fists, causing Zack and Anna to widen their eyes.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Zack yelled, his voice echoing in the Monger pilot's ears.

"I'd rather die as the man who eased his own pain then the fool who died in re-entry" The pilot said.

He punched his heart, smiling as the Monger moved its fists towards its chest. Anna looked away as the mobile suits fist ripped through the cockpit. The glow of the mobile suits eye faded as its limbs went limp. Simon huffed, crossing his arms together and leaving re-entry to Magnus. He couldn't kill that Monger pilot, but his comrade was still alive. That meant he could still get his revenge.

'My fury against the people who did this will be as great, no greater than Gekido's!' Simon thought.

The Liberty's eyes changed to a red colour as it flew back towards Earth. On the Minerva, things got heavier as some crewmembers felt gravity for the first time in their lives. Branden sighed in relief, adjusting to the gravity well while Don almost lost his balance. Kojiro and Luna got out of their machines and climbed down to the ground. The Dusk Aero Gundam began walking into the hanger, looking back as the Impulse and the other mobile suits flew towards the Minerva.

"Looks like war is going to wage again, good thing I've already picked a side" Silver Mask said.

In space the pilots of Sensou, ZAFT and Storm widened their eyes as they saw the explosions from the Earth. Meteor and colony fragments had still gotten past them and slammed into cities and oceans, creating waves that crushed coastal regions. Lacus held onto the children tight as the ground shook. She held them softly as she began to sing.

**Beneath the veil of starry sky,  
As cold as Winter's darkest night.  
It's there you sleep, silent and deep,  
You're all alone.**

The children stopped their tears and looked at Lacus as she sung. Kira lowered his head, remembering the first time he had heard that song. It had been on the Archangel during a much simpler time.

_There was an awkward silence as Gekido walked back to his room being followed by Lacus and the Haro's._

_"If you're going to follow me around could you at least switch off those stupid machines?" Gekido asked._

_"What's your name?" Lacus asked softly._

_"Gekido Jaeger, and don't start getting friendly with me because if there's one thing I despise more than blue cosmos it's Naïve air headed optimist who continually vomit sunshine, now go back to your room"_

_Gekido's spiteful words seemed to have had no affect as Lacus walked on "I would have much rather preferred to speak with everyone back there, Mr Kuzunagi is a kind gentleman but I would have preferred to speak with someone my own age" she said smiling._

_"Well guess what I don't want to have a nice conversation period!" Gekido said._

**I sing the prayer's soft melody,**  
**Across the lonely silent fields.**  
**A little light began to shine,**  
**It shines on and on.**

Civilians cried out as they saw meteor fragments fly towards their homes. A series of beams flew into the fragments, consuming them. A child looked up at the rooftop of a building. Stood atop it was the Purpose Mark 2, it flew at the fragments, using its own glowing armour as a shield. It then used its hand to divert one towards an unoccupied district of New York.

**I watched as you so peacefully dreamed,**  
**You laughed like a child, happy and carefree.**  
**It's all familair and yet so far,**  
**That's the future's promise for you and me.**

Dagger Thanos took off his helmet, shaking his head at the overworked condition of Marcus's Zaku. The blonde haired pilot floated away from the mobile suit, holding a picture of himself and his sister on the beach. Lain leant against her own mobile suit, gazing at the pendant she wore, one given to her by her parents in order to connect her to her sister Nia. She wiped a tear from her eye as she remembered the destruction they had just prevented.

**One day on a green and shining morn,'**  
**One day we will finally make it through.**  
**Cause in this sky, so dark with Winter,**  
**We still have to believe it's true.**

**Fields of Hope.**

The Purpose Mark 2 looked down at the civilians as they stared back. It's eyes blinked before it turned around and flew away. The Gundam transformed into a jet form, engaging its thrusters at full speed. In Moscow, Bhishma threw aside a piece of rubble, seeing some wounded civilians. He squeezed his hands together, looking up at the sky with fury in his eyes.

**A gentle touch, a loving brush,**  
**Those things I still search for.**  
**A prayer in a melody,**  
**It goes on and on.**

**I sing the prayer's soft melody,**  
**One vanishes, one dies.**  
**And all in all,**  
**It starts again, a never ending cycle.**

A young silver haired man looked up at the stars. He wore the Earth Alliance uniform and was part of the relief effort. Despite the situation he still found the time to look at the stars before getting back to work. Jeremiah sat in his new office, sighing as he signed paper work for supply drops and troop carriers. He brushed the photo of his old lover, leaning back into his chair as multiple phones ran around him.

**One day on a green and shining morn,'**  
**Through all the long nights we've been fighting for,**  
**There lies a place, far from disgrace,**  
**Where we won't have to hide from the world again.**

_"I have a dream, one that I'm willing to fight for…but whose willing to share that dream?" Gekido asked._

_"Have you ever asked anyone?" Lacus asked back._

_"Are you willing to share my dream?"_

_"Yes, because it's a dream worth fighting for, one worth living for"_

**Now there lies a deep love within my heart,**  
**A yearn to protect you and keep you warm,**  
**It's all familiar and yet so far,**  
**It's made for the peace of mind.**

The children inside the bunker had stopped their tears, but nothing could stop the tears outside. An EA soldier ran to a child's side, prepared to move him as rubble fell towards them. Suddenly the ground shook and the rubble was thrown aside. The soldier looked up, widening his eyes as he saw a cloaked mobile suit flying away from the area. Vincent walked onto the Minerva, slipping off his helmet and letting it casually fall onto the floor. He leant against the Jegan's leg while the ship itself shook from the shockwaves of the falling debris.

**Fields of Hope,**  
**Fields of Hope.**

Kira opened his eyes and smiled as Lacus cradled the children around her. Despite it bringing back memories she still didn't cry. That was all he could really ask for.

Next Chapter 11: Fragile peace

* * *

Preview Gundam Liberty: Lion's Silence

Earth Alliance Agemmennon Class vessel, after launch of Nuclear missile launcher units.

"Break those hourglasses open, for the revenge of our dead people" The Captain said.

"Sir, heat signatures approaching at high speeds, they look like Sensou GM's and a Zaku...wait the Zaku's moving at three times the speed of the others" A radar monitor said.

"IT'S HERE SIR!"

A Red Zaku raised its rifle, firing a yellow beam into the heart of the ship. Inside the machine a young man remained quiet and emotionless. His flight suit had a lion's mane around the helmet while the suit itself like the Zaku was a solid red colour.

'Forgive me father, I must rage war again!'

Enjoy the next chapter


	12. Fragile Peace

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Hope everyone enjoyed the special, note that the Green Frame Pilot is not an OC, he's actually from an Astray Manga

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 11: Fragile peace

Right now the two most peaceful places on the planet were Orb and the Minerva. Silver mask found it almost hilarious how a war ship could be a place where so many gathered. Himself a mercenary or dog of war and Vincent and the Sensou faction, Orb's representative as well as the many soldiers of ZAFT. It was an odd group for sure, considering the fact that it was a mixture of coordinators and naturals. One would think they'd be at war with one another but it was far from it. They were working together…

"NO NO NO! The Jegan needs its burning components taken off before we fix them!" Don said.

"Why don't we save ourselves some effort and just fix them when they're on there?" Youlan asked.

"Because we don't know whether the uplink plugs are damaged, we don't want the armour falling off in the middle of a battle"

Well still arguing but at least working together. Silver Mask chuckled as Branden and Luna shook their heads.

"Youlan, Vino, why don't you stick to the machines your better suited for fixing" Luna said.

"Come on Don leave them alone and get your men back to work" Branden growled.

Vincent removed his flight suit in the locker room, standing back to back with Shinn. They avoided talking to one another and walked their separate ways. The G-Wing cockpit opened and a pilot in a black flight suit climbed out of it. Vino and Youlan dropped their jaws as they looked at the tight black suit and the woman's chest. Joe perked up and rushed to the pilot as she took off her helmet. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a blue colour and her black hair was cut short to her neck, with some bangs hanging over her eyes.

"I am Commander First Class Tasha Sanada" She said, saluting Joe.

'Hellooo Tasha' Joe thought.

While Joe's eyes remained focused on her Tasha's chest, Rey casually walked up to the woman and saluted her.

"Welcome to the Minerva Commander, I'm Rey Za Burrel, Captain Gladys and Commander Rach are on the bridge if you wish to speak with them" Rey explained.

"Yes thank you Mr Za Burrel, I can find my own way over" Tasha said.

Tasha walked away, her hips swaying as she walked. Joe put a hand to his mouth while Vino and Youlan stared at her.

"I want to join Sensou" Vino whispered.

"Get back to work you two" Luna said as she and Rey got into the elevator.

Silver Mask looked up at his Gundam, narrowing his glowing eye, as the machines own eye flashed. Across the world, Alliance and Sensou rescue teams were pulling bodies out of rubble. Despite the firing from ships in space, some debris got through and caused catastrophic damage to cities. Sai Argyle removed his glasses, wiping away the mist as he walked with his men to another rescue point. A ground based GM lifted up a piece of rubble and the pilot widened his eyes in horror at the bodies.

"Damn it, we were too late" Sai cursed, kicking a rock across the floor.

Jeremiah rubbed his eyes as more calls came in of casualties. While the casualties weren't as bad as they could have been they were still enough to cause world anger. And pretty soon that anger would turn to hate and the cries for war.

"Mr Israfel, another report from Commander Alhazard's unit, no casualties so far sir"

He was sat in a command centre, with numerous people below him working on radios and satellites. His secretary stood beside him and Jeremiah could tell that she was nervous. The young coordinator woman was in a room full of naturals, but Jeremiah had accounted for extreme Blue Cosmos members and didn't let them become part of his staff. Everyone working at the command centre shared his ideal, or at least Gekido Jaeger's sense of unity.

"Sir we've got a report from the South American unit, a GINN is tearing up the forces there as well as a Deep Space Survey Lab" A young radio operator said.

"Which unit is nearest to that area?" Jeremiah asked.

"Phantom Pain sir"

"Anyone not on Djibril's payload?"

"No sir!"

"Damn it" Jeremiah growled.

He lit up a cigar, blowing the smoke from his mouth as he thought. Phantom Pain would certainly end the threat quickly but there was also a chance that Djibril would get interested in whatever the DSSD was doing. He sighed as he made his decision.

"Ensign send the coordinates to…"

"Sir, we've detected a large heat signal in that area, the frame matches a G-Type Weapon"

"A Gundam?" Jeremiah asked. "Put the battle on screen" He said.

The map of the globe was replaced with a live video feed of the city. A GINN was firing at tanks and helicopters, and then firing a few bullets into the air. The camera trembled as the sound of multiple engines roared. Jeremiah leant forward as he heard the clicking of parts, a mobile suit was transforming. He recognised the sounds, having worked on the development of transforming mobile suits like the Raider. But this sound was familiar, a sound he hadn't heard in two years. A grey Gundam type mobile suit flew over the camera, slamming its leg into the GINN so hard that the Monotype visor shattered. Its eyes glowed a fierce green colour as it ripped off the GINN's arm, throwing aside the bazooka and tackling the machine to the ground.

"That frame and the head design" Jeremiah said.

"What is it sir?" Jessica asked.

"The design is different but there's no doubt about it" Jeremiah smiled.

The Purpose Mark 2 ripped the cockpit of the machine open, raising its fist to finish the pilot off. But the glow on the machine faded as it lowered its fist. It gave the fallen GINN a final kick before launching itself into the air. As the machine transformed to its jet mode the camera caught sight of a launching shuttlecraft.

"Sir we've just received a message from a Mr Edmond Du Clos, he's thanking us for the assistance" An EA officer said.

"Tell him that we…tell him we were happy to help" Jeremiah said. "Ensign Bluer I want you to send those images to one of the major news networks, one of the ones that doesn't focus on coordinator or natural labels"

"Yes sir!"

Jeremiah put his cigar out, smiling as he remembered the infamous Gundam Purpose. He'd been a mobile suit designer when he looked up at the impressive machine at Panama. It stood like a tall and proud giant and for a moment Jeremiah wished that he wasn't crippled so that he could climb into the cockpit there and then.

"If you want to date it you just need to ask" A voice said behind Jeremiah.

He turned around, leaning on his cane and looking at a young grey haired man standing with his arms crossed. The boy wore a grey sleeveless top with a high collar and combat fatigues with the blue Ensign jacket wrapped around his waist.

"Sorry, just looking at this machine, it has quite a reputation, the shining star I believed some people called it" Jeremiah said.

"The light it can give off is a result of the Arc Generator, it absorbs solar particles and releases those particles form either a barrier or as I recently discovered a burst of power" The boy explained.

"Sounds impressive, you seem to know a lot about it"

"That's cause I'm its pilot"

Jeremiah widened his eyes, almost falling off his cane at the sudden realisation. This boy no older than 17 was the infamous Gekido Jaeger. A man whose words changed people and whose abilities saved the crews of entire ships. But above all that he was an inspiration to the Earth Alliance grunts and a threat to Blue Cosmos leaders within the top brass. Jeremiah rubbed the back of his head with a smile before offering his hand to the boy.

"Jeremiah Israfel, an honour to meet you Mr Jaeger"

"Its Gekido!"

"Ha, the rumours about you were right, you really are hard to get along with" Jeremiah said.

"Is that a problem?" Gekido asked, crossing his arms.

"On the contrary, I like a challenge, perhaps one day I will earn your respect"

"I'll be holding my breath"

Jeremiah laughed, patting Gekido's back as they looked up at the Purpose.

"You have changed the Earth Alliance boy, something I never thought possible, I thought that the Alliance would be doomed to fall into the Blue Cosmos way of thinking, but you showed people a better way to think, don't think about wiping out your neighbour, just think of winning the fight" Jeremiah explained.

"In the way that's what I've tried to teach, but I'd much rather think that I've taught people to understand one another, even their enemy, even when they don't want to…I just hated it when people said those words, "pure blue world" "space monster" "patch worker" without even knowing what those words mean" Gekido explained.

"You're a better man than me Gekido, I probably would have killed them all" Jeremiah said.

"While that is the answer for those who are completely lost, for those who have simply been led to follow an ideal it is still possible to teach them a better ideal"

"Do you really believe that anyone can be saved?"

"If you actually put some effort into saving them then yes, but if they're too stubborn and refuse to listen to that voice that tells them that what they do is wrong then yes they must be killed" Gekido explained.

Jeremiah smiled at that memory, remembering that time when he could believe in a hopeful future. Gekido gave people hope, but when he died that hope was shattered. The people at the top refused to accept Gekido's existence and the sacrifices of Akushi Thanos. That's when Jeremiah woke up to a new style of thinking and a new solution to the Blue Cosmos and Patrick Zala loyalist problem.

"Sir we've just had a report from the field unit, the pilots of that GINN were…children sir!" Ensign Bluer said.

"It seems this New Purpose really does think its Gekido Jaeger" Jeremiah chuckled.

* * *

The Minerva was now flying across the ocean with the intention to deliver Cagalli back to Orb. Plus the Minerva had some damages that needed to be fixed. The Zaku that Athrun had been piloting was a wreck as well as another mobile suit.

"What do you mean you can't fix it?" Branden asked, holding Don by the collar of his jumpsuit.

"I'm sorry Branden but the Murasama is beyond repair at this point, that new Massacre did a real number on the parts, we'd have to rebuild the whole thing from scratch" Don explained.

"That machine that beat me was called the Slaughter, and I swear with or without the Murasama I will destroy that Massacre wannabe" Branden said.

Talia stayed sitting inside the bridge as some of the other crewmembers walked out onto the deck. Though the clouds covered the sun the air and the ocean was enough to amaze some of the colony born coordinators. Flay and Kojiro were on their way to the deck when they heard a sound coming from one of the bathrooms.

"BLAAAAARGH!"

They looked at the door with raised eyebrows before it opened. Silver Mask was adjusting his helmet and pulling the chain on the toilet.

"That's all the seasickness gone, now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna enjoy the fresh air" Silver Mask said.

Flay stared at the bathroom as Silver Mask walked away.

"Chairwoman, is there something wrong?" Kojiro asked.

"No its just…no don't worry about it Kojiro" Flay said.

Meyrin took a deep breath while Vino and Youlan stared in wonderment at the sea. Branden was leant against the wall, rolling his eyes at the coordinators. Vincent was leant against a railing, his jacket on the rail. He looked to his side, shaking his head as some of the crew cringed at the burns on his shoulder. Despite looks he would get he wouldn't forget the mistakes he had made in battle. But he didn't need a scar to remind him of one mistake.

_Vincent walked through the forests of Onogoro, occasionally looking up to make sure the battle between the Freedom and the Extended wasn't getting too close to him. The Strike Dagger looked downwards and its pilot gasped as he saw a family of four running through the forest. He grinded his teeth together at the luggage they were carrying. Then he widened his eyes as the Freedom and the Raider flew over them. A moment passed and Vincent watch the family try to leave, but the little girl struggled under her father's grip, before her brother jumped down a hill._

_"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING? STOP FOR SOMEONE NOT SOMETHING!" Vincent yelled as he broke the Strike Dagger off into a run._

_The Freedom went into its long-range mode and fired all of its guns just as the Calamity fired its cannons. Everything happened so fast for Vincent, he slammed his shield down on the ground in front of the three potential victims. The Red and white beam slammed into Vincent's shield, melting it to the Dagger's arm. Vincent grinded his teeth together, praying for the shield to hold for just a while longer. Thankfully for them, the shield did hold and they would walk away from this battle alive. Or that was at least what Vincent thought. A beam suddenly cut his Strike Dagger's left arm off and Vincent watched in horror as the arm dropped towards the three civilians. Vincent widened his eyes, and then dropped his head in shame; the crushed remains of the three civilians would haunt his memories forever. His shame turned to anger as he looked upwards to see the Devine Gundam. It had its rifle out and Vincent knew above all else that that machine was responsible._

'Shinn Asuka, you didn't see what kind of man Saint Yuri was, had you have known then you would have focused your hate on him instead of Orb and I' Vincent thought.

He leant off the railing and turned around, stopping in surprise as he looked at Nia Holland. She was fidgeting as if she was thinking of saying something.

"Was there something you needed?" Vincent asked, putting his jacket on.

Nia shuffled her feet, scratching her cheek nervously.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay shit head" she snipped. "I mean I didn't mean it like that"

"Then how did you mean it?" Vincent asked.

Vincent crossed his arms as he waited for Nia to speak. She nervously closed her eyes before stepping forward.

"Look I think you did the right thing a year ago okay? Sometimes its not good enough to stop the problem for a little while, sometimes the problem has to be gotten rid of altogether, and maybe…maybe what you did could have been done differently or maybe it was too late. Maybe you could have offered an escape for anyone who didn't agree with what was going on in that town or maybe there wasn't anyone like that in there but you did what you thought was right and made a tough choice that very few would have been able to make and I'm sure you'll carry the weight of that choice for the rest of your life. I think…I think that's noble in its own way okay?"

Vincent looked at the girl in shock while she blushed. He always had her pegged as the antisocial type.

"Just…fuck it you have my support okay stupid? And if…shit if you need my help whenever and one of your people cant help or cant help then…if it doesn't conflict with my feelings or my duty then I'll help all right?"

She growled as she turned away, walking off in a strop. Vincent scratched his hair in confusion while the others went back to admiring the view. Shinn walked onto the deck, looking at the ocean but not being too impressed with its view. He was an Earth born coordinator after all. Still it was good to be back on Earth. Athrun was standing by himself, also uninterested in the atmosphere. Cagalli walked onto the deck and Shinn walked away in disdain. The Athha's were still responsible for his family's death, just as much as Commander Rach was. Kojiro leant against the wall while Flay took off her jacket, soaking up the wind.

"Man that feels great" Flay said.

"Where's Tasha?" Branden asked.

"Listening to damage reports from our global forces" Kojiro said.

"What, but that should be my duty" Vincent said.

"She said that she feels you should rest after what you have been through"

"We could all do with some rest I suppose, although some people shouldn't have been out there at all" Cagalli huffed, looking at Athrun.

"Yes, sorry if I worried you" Athrun said.

"It's okay, I'm glad we were able to prevent some damage, I just hope that the world can forgive us" Cagalli said.

Shinn growled, walking away from his spot.

"What are you and idiot?" He asked.

The statement took Cagalli aback while the other pilots that had been at the battle lowered their heads.

"Despite what we say people will only remember that coordinators caused this event, the people fighting in those GINN's said "Patrick Zala knew it all along, the only true path for coordinators was the one he chose for us"" Shinn explained.

"Zala loyalists" Branden growled.

Silver Mask turned to the conversation, scratching his chin curiously.

"The people will want someone punished, but the Plants cant provide that, and thus the greedy fools of the Alliance will take this as their opportunity to get rid of the Plants, at least that sort of theory sounds good" Silver Mask explained.

"What are you saying, the people will just look for a random excuse to go to war?" Meyrin asked.

"Of course Miss Hawke, human psychology is a powerful thing, when something is taken from you, you naturally seek some form of justice… for example if someone killed your sister would you forgive them?" Silver Mask asked.

"No" Meyrin said without hesitation.

"Some people seek out revenge, some people pray for revenge, when people hate an individual soon they will look for excuses to hate others…they worked with them, they hid them, they're my enemy, they're unnatural, they are threats…pitiful excuses to keep on hating someone…mark my words soon we're going to be hearing "for our blue and pure world" over the radio channels"

Branden nodded his head, accepting that opinion. He'd lost his family to coordinator terrorists and Azrael fuelled his hatred with images of the coordinators being unnatural and unworthy of existence. Of course Azrael was wrong, but there was no going back for Branden, a part of him still hated coordinators to this day. Athrun remembered the moment when Sato spoke those words. It seemed even after all these years he couldn't escape the fact that his fathers legacy was his hate for the naturals.

Djibril stroked his cat as he looked at the news reports at his own private headquarters. This was where he could manipulate the world, sending orders to the news channels and outreach groups under his command. Jeremiah Israfel had a lot of power as Director of the Atlantic federation but Djibril still had all the cards. He looked at the blue prints of the stolen machines and the other Newtype machines. They would be his primary enforcers, the ones who would carry the will of Logos and destroy any enemies to its existence. Durandal was a primary concern but the Extended would need to focus on that new battleship. Soon very soon war would wage, it was the people's will after all. Djibril smirked as he looked at the news feeds.

"The coordinators put that thing out in space and just left it there, something that size should have been destroyed years ago"

"I've lost children, do the coordinators think they're getting justice for breaking their own precious colony?"

"Has Durandal given us the people responsible, where the hell did they get the explosives to push that thing towards out orbit anyway?"

He laughed, turning up the volume as people screamed and yelled for revenge. His eyes narrowed towards another screen, Jeremiah Israfel was taking an interview on a talk show.

"While I do agree that we need to find and get rid of any remaining coordinator extremists I also believe that right now a war isn't the best thing for our economy, I believe our efforts should be put into repairs to the areas hit by the debris" Jeremiah explained.

"Back to the subject of the extremists Mr Israfel, do you believe that a campaign should be launched against what many people theorise is the Zala faction?" The host asked.

"Patrick Zala is dead, people are putting a face on a conspiracy that may or may not exist, while I do think that there was some mastermind behind these events I do not believe that all out war is the best option to apprehend this criminal"

"But you do believe some sort of lethal action should be taken?"

"Yes, the deaths of our people can not go unpunished, I just want someone to tell us whether there is anyone left to be punished"

Djibril glared at the video, Jeremiah was a fool living in the past and not thinking of the future. The Plants were missiles that could be used against the Earth. Coordinators were a threat to humanities purity; the Plants were a threat to the very existence of the Earth.

"In other news, the director of Anaheim Electronics was found dead yesterday, his predecessor Heiwa Hunter has revealed his new energy scheme today" A reporter said.

Djibril widened his eyes as he looked at the scene of Heiwa's first public appearance. His face didn't have a speck of makeup on, in fact his clothes were covered in dirt.

"You'll have to excuse the appearance ladies and gentlemen, I was helping with rescue efforts, sadly approximately a hundred of the two hundred and thirty people we were looking for turned up dead…while I regret leaving rescue efforts I also realise that this announcement is very important to the future of our home" Heiwa explained.

Cameramen took photos and held their cameras up as the interviewers raised their hands for questions. In the crowd, a brown haired girl took photos whilst also jotting down notes on her note pad. She was a journalist but in the past she had worked in a battleship CIC. Mirallia Haw sighed as another reporter bumped into her, calling out a question. This wasn't what she had in mind when she decided to be a member of the much-hated media.

"Ah you at the back there, the one with the white jacket, do you have something to ask?" Haiwa asked.

Miriallia blushed as the white haired man pointed at her. She did her best to push through the crowd until he could see her completely.

"Yes Mr Hunter, I'm…"

"Miriallia Haw, the Global Broker is my favourite paper, please ask what's on your mind"

Flay waved the members of Sensou over to the TV screen while in Orb Lacus, Kira, Murrue and Andy watched the screen intensively. At Earth Alliance headquarters Simon settled into his room, drying his hair as he got out of the shower. He looked at the screen and narrowed his eyes at the man. Suddenly his eyes widened as he saw the resemblance.

"Mr Hunter your appearance has come at quite a shock to the corporate world, many are wondering where you came from but the people want to know, what stance will Anaheim Electronics, or rather what is your stance to the current disaster and the government's response to that disaster?" Miriallia asked.

The lights in Silver Mask's room were shut and a single eye was focused on the TV screen. Haiwa didn't waste any time in thinking when he gave his response.

"I'm not going to stand here and say "I dream of peace" when right now that's the one thing we cant have I will say that whether it is full scale war or disaster relief that the Alliance chooses to focus on my priority and my companies priority will be to projects that will benefit the people of Earth and anyone outside of the Earth who can afford our services, this will be in both mobile suit development and in projects that will soon rebuild our broken world" Haiwa explained.

At an unknown location Dagger Thanos sat at his desk watching the scene. A wine cup was in his hand and the sake bottle was just within arms reach. In the pilots meeting room, Canard Pars looked up at the screen with disdain.

"Mr Hunter I'm K Weston from frontier news, what exactly is this project that you wished to announce?"

"Ah yes the project, it was recently completed and will be ready for public release in two days, it is something of a side company that I'll be running named after my brother, an alliance soldier who is currently missing in action"

"What is the name of this project?"

"Spoilers, I'm afraid I cant say until everyone who still has a home is at home, now if you excuse me I need to go back to relief efforts" Haiwa said.

Silver Mask scratched his chin, thinking of the appearance of this Haiwa hunter. When he heard the knock at his door he picked up his mask and put it on before walking to the door.

"Lunamaria, what do you want?" he asked gruffly.

"Oh um, we're going to take part in mandatory target practice, did you want to watch?" Luna asked.

"I'll just get my firearm" Silver Mask said.

Vincent walked along the corridor of the ship, raising his head as he saw Tasha working on a PDA.

"Tasha, is that the link to the rescue efforts?" Vincent asked.

"No sir, its captain Noa, he says that we've lost trace of Bogey One and Dagger Thanos's army" Tasha said.

"Thank you, I can take over the work now"

"With all due respect sir I think you should rest"

"Your concern is noted but unnecessary" Vincent said, taking the computer from Tasha.

"Permission to speak freely sir"

"Granted!"

"You being stubborn like this was the reason we didn't work out" Tasha said, walking past Vincent as he lowered his head.

He looked back at her as she walked away, even when she was cold she still bought up their past relationship. Vincent clicked a few buttons on the computer, bringing up messages from Sensou rescue teams.

_Survivors found in New York Moscow and Paris, coastal areas have high casualty lists, will send you list of the dead later, also Paptimus Scirocco wishes to speak with you, as does Jeremiah Israfel, it might be good to also speak with Cagalli when you have the chance, just a suggestion _

_From Sai!_

Vincent sighed as he rubbed his forehead, it would be a long day today. Athrun stopped at the deck, taking note of the soldiers partaking in target practice. They had set up targets and were building up points. Kojiro and Branden soon walked onto the deck, joining Athrun as they watched the ZAFT rookies empty clips into targets. Rey was doing better than the others, something that Luna took note of. She was a good shot in the Zaku but her skill with a gun was mediocre. Meyrin too was having difficulty in even holding the gun.

"I thought coordinators were supposed to have like enhanced skills" Branden said.

"A dangerous racial judgement Kamal" Kojiro said.

Silver Mask loaded his own firearm, looking at the targets for a moment. He took his left arm and aimed at the targets.

"Um sir, I think you should hold the gun with both…"

Meyrin widened her eyes as Silver Mask fired a bullet into the head of the first target. Another target popped out and with a split second reaction Silver Mask fired another shot into the targets head. As more and more targets appeared he fired again and again. Each successive shot was a successive hit.

"Left handed I see" Athrun said.

"Yep, although a few years back I wouldn't have been able to shoot as well with that arm" Silver Mask said, removing the magazine and putting the gun back on his belt.

Luna grinded her teeth together as she missed another target. She looked back at Athrun and smiled as he raised his eyebrows.

"You know we don't know much about your father but you're a big hero to a lot of us, two years ago you were a part of the Le Creuscet team and piloted the Aegis mobile suit, defeating the Archangel's Strike and being inducted into the Faith special forces branch, you piloted the Justice at the battle of Jachin Due as part of a joint Earth Alliance and ZAFT alliance against Patrick Zala and his loyalists, you are Athrun Zala" Luna explained.

Athrun let the message sink in while Silver Mask shook his head.

"And I've heard your pretty good with a gun" Luna smiled.

"Here we go" Branden grumbled.

Athrun hesitantly took Luna's pistol and put the target settings on the same one that Silver Mask had used. Much to Luna's astonishment he shot the targets with the same effectiveness that Silver Mask had fired with.

"I don't believe it, and your using a defective gun"

"There's nothing wrong with the gun, you see you have this habit of twisting your wrist when you pull the trigger" Athrun explained.

Cagalli and Flay looked at the scene curiously. Flay remained quiet while Cagalli called for Athrun. He looked at the gun and then at Silver Mask. The masked man was clearly a veteran of the last war with shooting like that.

"Yeah it's a skill but personally I don't think it's a very good one" Athrun said, giving the gun back to Luna.

"I disagree its important you learn to defend yourself against the enemy" Luna said.

"And who are they?" Athrun asked.

Branden walked up to the firing range, loading his own pistol and firing a few shots into a target. He jumped up as a blade flew past his head, imbedding itself in the target.

"Damn it Kojiro don't do that" Branden said.

"I don't like guns, but I still understand the need for them" Kojiro said.

"Its too bad some people forgot that necessity"

Athrun ignored the comment and walked towards the exit. He came face to face with Shinn, whom had a curious expression on his face.

"We'll be in Orb soon, are you going to stay there?" Shinn asked.

"Yes!" Athrun said.

"Why, what do you do there?"

Athrun didn't answer the question and simply walked away. Sure living in Orb was a peaceful path, but was it the right one for him? Soon the Minerva would approach Orb and the pilots would be entreated to a much-deserved shore leave. Off the border of Orb, the Purpose Mark 2 flew across the sky. Orb navy ships picked up the signature of the mobile suit. Captain Todaka looked at the frame and ran it through a database. The only match Orb has was the original model of the Purpose. Back then it was known as the Defender.

'Is our "defender" coming home or is it just enjoying a leisurely ride?' Todaka wondered. "Ensign send a message to that mobile suit, of it goes past our border tell the pilot that we will fire on it"

"Yes sir…sir there's no response"

"Continue to monitor it and be ready to fire if it does anything"

The Orb soldier wasn't the only man interested in this New Purpose. Jeremiah had his own agents monitor the mobile suit, looking at a live video feed of the Purpose as it aimlessly flew around. When the jet transformed into its humanoid form, Jeremiah knew that something was wrong. Suddenly, a series of beams flew from one of the nearby islands, and the Purpose narrowly dodged them.

"What was that?" Jeremiah and Todaka asked.

The Purpose looked down from where the blasts had come from. A Zaku Kai had a sniper rifle trailing on the Purpose, but the very sight of the machine astonished the pilot.

"Its looking right at me" He said.

"Don't sweat it, your job was to get its attention!"

A mobile suit threw off its camouflage cloak and Jeremiah narrowed his eyes at the frame. It looked like the Astray Red Frame, but its armour was a green colour and it carried what looked like a mixture of a beam rifle and a axe on its hip. The Green Frame had a unique green marking on its shoulder, while the opposite shoulder had a black lightning bolt symbol.

"A Black Storm member" Jeremiah said.

"Good luck Trojan Noiret" A woman said over the Green Frame's radio.

The black haired pilot chuckled as he activated the rockets on his flight pack.

"Who needs luck when you have the element of surprise heh Mina Sahaku" Trojan said.

The Purpose swung around as a Black winged Astray appeared behind it. It ignited a beam sabre on its Triskeros Kai shield, slamming it against the Purpose's arm. Jeremiah smirked, leaning his head back as he enjoyed the show.

"Looks like Dagger Thanos is more charismatic than I thought, don't disappoint me Purpose 2, its time to see whether you fight like the original" Jeremiah said.

The Purpose's eyes changed from green to red as its armour released an incredible flash.

Next Chapter 12: Orb the Land of ambitions

* * *

Preview Lion's Silence

"Forgive me father, there's no need for peace in this world…the enemy must be destroyed!"

Explosions engulfed space in front of the Plants. Yzak fired his Gatling guns while Shiho fired her beam rifle. Dearka swung his beam cannon around, firing a beam that cut a Windam in half. An orange Zaku Phantom fired its collection of missiles, hitting multiple nukes. ZAFT and Earth Alliance ships fired their beam weaponry while Windam's fired their nuclear missiles. The Neutron Stempeder released a wave that blew the missiles and the mobile suits in front of it apart. Retreating Earth Alliance forces relayed orders over the radio.

"Sir, we've lost contact with Captain Wilson's ship" A Drake Class ship crew member said.

Warning alarms rang throughout the Drake class carrier as a single Red Zaku slammed into the slammed its foot into the bridge, crushing the crewmembers inside. The Zaku's eye flashed before flying after the retreating forces.

"Chairwoman Alster, a large majority of the retreating Earth Alliance forces were destroyed by Casvall ma'am" A Sensou soldier said.

Flay widened her eyes as she read the report. What was Casval thinking?

(Gackt Lust for Blood plays in the background)

"Kou Uraki, Full Vernien Zephyranthes launching!"

A blue and white Gundam flew out an Earth Alliance ship, firing its bema rifle at Sensou GM's. A Sensou base class ship opened its hanger and a shining red mobile suit stepped onto the catapult.

"Hyaku Shiki is launching, you're clear to go Casval"

Casvall drew a beam sabre and slammed it against the Gundam's shield.

"We're trying to retreat and your wiping us all out, we weren't involved in the nuclear attacks and you still try to kill us, even when our soldiers surrender…WHY! TELL ME WHY!" Kou yelled.

Casvall closed his eyes before kicking the Gundam across the head.

"Do you plan on wiping out the enemy, does showing them no mercy make you better, do their actions justify yours?" Prayer Reverie asked.

"In the past we may have fought together, but right now you are a threat to the Earth Alliance, a threat I have been ordered to destroy" Rena Imelia said, drawing the Swords of her custom Calamity.

"STOP CASVALL! If you continue to fight like this, others wont stop hating you unless you stop hating them! CASVALL!" Kamille Bidan yelled.

The Double Zeta slashed apart a meteor and Judau Ashta widened his eyes as a red Gundam with Lion's Mane aimed its rifle at his head.

"You mustn't remain locked in the past, if so then you will become like Alex Leonard, forever looking for an enemy to destroy, unable to look to a future past his own hatred" Amuro Ray said.

The blue Dijeh drew its double edge beam sabre, slamming it against the Hyaku Shiki's beam sabre.

"Wake up Casvall! GO BACK TO BEING YOUR TRUE SELF!" Amuro yelled.

Casvall flew a red Gundam through the Debris belt, rubbing his head as he felt a tingling sensation. He looked at the remains of the Comet and narrowed his eyes. Another mobile suit was darkened by the purple energy of a Newtype's power. A young man with burns on his cheeks laughed as the white lenses of his black mask flashed.

"This is it friend of Sakon Date, WILL YOU PUT AN END TO MY VENGEANCE WITH DEATH LIKE YOUR FRIEND DID! OR WILL YOU REACH ME WITH WORDS, AS YOUR FATHER WOULD HAVE! LETS SEE IF YOU REALLY ARE A LION OF ORB!"

Gundam Liberty: Lion's Silence, Coming soon!

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapters, please tell me what you thought of them and the preview to the Crossover fic staring my OC Casvall, and an assortment of UC and CE characters.


	13. Orb land of ambition

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 12: Orb land of ambition

At the peak of its economic, political and military power Orb was by far a successful nation. This was mainly because of its independent nature. It had been Uzumi Nara Athha's ideal to never attack another nation, to never allow his nation to be attacked and to never intervene in the conflicts of other nations. That ideal was what kept Orb at peace, but also it made the nation a target. As a lone nation without any allies it also had the potential to be attacked. But the danger for Orb right now was the ambitions of simple men. Simple men like Yuuna Roma Seiran and his family. Cagalli Yula Athha was just a woman to them, a woman they would try to pressure. That's what Dagger Thanos knew would happen. He sat in his office; with the pictures of the team members he had lost looking over him. All of them were the original True Storm members. Some of them were killed while others had left to make their own lives.

"Commander, our spy reports that Cagalli Yula Athha has arrived in Orb, soon she will begin the teleconference" Lain said on the other side of the door.

"Thank you Lain, have Lionel set up the link in my office" Dagger said.

He poured himself a small cup of sake and raised it for his old comrades. When he poured the liquid down his throat he thought of the last time Orb was pressured by the Earth Alliance. That time Uzumi Nara Athha endured and never compromised his beliefs. But the people suffered for that, Cagalli would most likely learn from her father's mistake. Or so she would feel, the new council were men of ambition. Cowards who deceived others in order to make more money and titles for themselves. Dagger was tempted to kill the council off, but he could use their ambitions to his advantage. Cagalli would give in and the people would suffer for it. Then they would be open to new leadership.

* * *

The Minerva docking at Morgenroutte was a sight to see. Yuuna Roma Seiran looked at the ZAFT battleship and couldn't help but be reminded of the Archangel. That ship had bought nothing but trouble for the nation and the Seiran family when it had arrived. Now it bought back Orb's head and the major pilots of the Sensou organisation. Yuna hated Sensou; he saw them as a threat to his country and his plans. Not the mention they drew inspiration from Gekido Jaeger, a freak of nature and a savage. Yuuna wouldn't forget Gekido's assault of him and the repeated insults to the Seiran family.

"It seems Lady Cagalli has come back with trouble" His father agreed with him.

"It's not really her fault father, I'm sure Cagalli never expected to be involved in these troubles to such an extent, we cant exactly rebuff the ship that is returning our head of state back to us safe and sound" Yuuna explained.

"Yes, at least for now"

Yuna nodded his head and put on a smile as the coordinators stepped out to greet them.

"Cagalli!" He cheered, rushing over and hugging Cagalli.

Cagalli did her best to hide her impatience with Yuuna while Athrun kept his cool. He knew that Cagalli could handle Yuuna; she'd push him away if he got too inappropriate. Kojiro's face was unreadable while Flay was pointing her finger into her wide-open mouth. Vincent scratched his cheek while Branden tapped his foot against the ground in impatience. Yuuna's father greeted them as well, obviously putting on a show for the sake of civility.

"Thank you for everything Captain Gladys, I hope we see one another again" Cagalli said, shaking Talia's hand.

"Thank you Miss Cagalli, Chairwoman Alster, Commander Rach, keep up the good work with Sensou" Talia said.

Vincent saluted the captain while Flay shook her hand. While the Sensou members left the Minerva, Silver Mask stood on one of the launchers. He narrowed his glowing eye at the chief engineer speaking with Talia. She seemed to have changed very little, apart from using a new moniker.

'Murrue Ramias, good to see your enjoying life as a deserter' Silver Mask thought.

He broke off into a run, jumping off of the Minerva, onto a fence and into a set of bushes. The sound of the rustling bushes caught Andrew Waltfeld's attention for a moment before he got back to work. Orb was indeed a land of peace; the country had suffered no catastrophic damage, although the fishing trade would be suffering. People could still walk across the street and not have to worry about what would happen tomorrow. Cagalli wanted to preserve this; she truly hoped that Vincent and Flay were wrong in their predictions.

"Cagalli, putting up with that hideously scarred Commander Rach must have been daunting, are you all right?" Yuuna asked.

"It's okay, Commander Rach was pleasant enough to be around, I'm just glad he and his men were able to prevent some of the damage" Cagalli said.

"You know Cagalli there is an issue we must discuss as soon as we get back to the council building, we've received multiple messages from Dagger Thanos" Yuuna explained.

"Thanos, the commander who disappeared after Jachin due?"

"The very same, he is offering an alliance, I told him of your policy but he refused to listen to me…this is an issue I trust you can deal with in the same way and integrity your father would have"

"Yes, thank you Yuuna, we can set up a meeting in the council chamber, have the ministers and councillors gather" Cagalli said.

"As I expected!" Yuuna sighed.

"What?"

"As I'd expect from the Lioness of Orb, five minutes off of a battleship and already you are prepared to carry out your duty, that's exactly what Orb needs right now, a level headed leader whom can see the big picture" Yuuna explained, smiling through his teeth.

Cagalli thought nothing of the praise, dismissing Yuuna's attempts to "ass kiss" as Gekido would have put it. She unintentionally smiled at the thought of her old friend. They were friends, even though they never found themselves admitting that fact they did have a lot in common. Cagalli looked at the road ahead and sighed at the memory of those happier days.

_The young natural looked up at the sky and smiled._

_"You know you're a pretty strange guy!" Gekido turned around to see Cagalli standing at the doorway._

_"Look whose talking" Gekido said with a smirk._

_"I'm not strange" Cagalli growled._

_"Yeah but you are a guy…oh wait your…a girl" Gekido said and the two of them laughed at his mockery of Kira._

Cagalli smiled like she never had before. The past was a place of comfort, when Athrun wasn't around it was a place she could lose herself in.

* * *

Captain Todoka kept his cool, as all captains had to. He gave the mobile suit pilots a clear message, if they crossed the Orb border they would be fired upon. Now alls he could do was watch. Apparently some of the younger ship staff had a poll going on which G-Weapon would win. The grey mobile suit used its shield to bat aside the Green Astray's beam weapon while the Black and Gold Astray fired wires from its wings. Swinging around, the grey suit grabbed the wires, holding them in place as the electricity ran through its body. Remarkably it took the plasma surge and span around, throwing the Astray towards one of the islands. The Green Astray fired its rifle at the grey suit, which dived downwards towards the recovery Gold Astray. It swung its fist back, slamming it into the Astray's head. The Astray slid across the rock surface of the island, finally coming to a halt at the edge of a cliff face.

Jeremiah watched the scene with a smile. He'd only had opportunities to see old video footages of the Purpose fighting. But now he saw a battle directly in the presence. The Purpose Mark 2 was ferocious in its assault of the Astray Gold Frame. Like Gekido, it used parts of its own body as weapons. Its fists were weapons in themselves, knocking the Gold astray off of the edge of the cliff. The Astray Green Frame switched its rifle to beam sword mode, swinging it into the Purpose's shield. Then the Purpose flipped around, slamming its heel into the side of the Astray. Suddenly the Gold Astray flew up the mountain, firing its beam rifle and separating the Purpose from the Green Astray. All three machines stared one another down as the Purpose's eyes glowed. Jeremiah eagerly leant forward while Jessica shook her head. The man loved to watch his mobile suits fight, but this was different for him. Now he had a love for "Gundams" or as some of the staff had called them "the god suits".

* * *

Flay and Athrun sat in Athrun's sports car, making their way across the coastline. They stopped when they saw Kira and Lacus on the beach with the children they stayed with. Flay smiled while Kira widened his eyes when he saw them. Athrun parked the car nearby and the two of them walked over to meet them. Lacus and Flay hugged while Athrun and Kira shook hands.

"It's good to see you're all right" Kira said.

"It wasn't pretty up there, we barely survived" Athrun said.

"You mean you two were up there?" Lacus asked.

Flay immediately pulled Kira into a deep kiss, causing some of the children to fake vomit. Athrun checked his watch as Flay held the kiss. Finally they both let one another go and blushed as Athrun looked at them with crossed arms.

"Thank god your all right" Flay said.

"Lacus's inheritance didn't go to waste, plus Mr Waltfeld still had contacts in ZAFT, the shelter could take the water but the house will need some work" Kira explained.

"Nothing that wont be fixed in a few days, I could have some of my men come over to help if you wanted" Flay said.

"No don't bother, we'll be fine"

Flay and Lacus took a walk while Athrun and Kira drove across the road.

"We were there in the middle of it Kira, they had worked with my father "your living in a damn dream world laughing with the butchers who caused this" he had said "Athrun Zala knew it all along, the only true path for coordinators was the one he chose for us"" Athrun explained, remembering every vivid detail of the battle.

"So you were fighting? Along with Sensou and Flay" Kira said.

"Sensou is different than how Cagalli thought they were, I always knew this, I always understood it but now I cant see the Purpose of Sensou when a war is knocking at the Plants doorstep"

Kira lowered his head, thinking of his battles with Rau Le Creuscet and Uragiri. The two of them had created havoc and hate throughout the battlefield and neither one was contempt with the idea of peace. But now it seemed that if a war did come it wouldn't be as black and white as the last war had been.

* * *

Nothing was simple anymore, but this was a good escape for him. Old Twenty first century planes were dangerous in comparison to Sky graspers. Vincent sat in the old aircraft, flying over the Sensou airfield. He wore all the protective gear including the insulation suit and helmet and mask. It was far different from the flight suits of today and the experience was something that made him forget all of his problems. He forgot about Shinn Asuka, about the coming war and about the horrors that would go to the Plants. Tilting his stick, Vincent pulled off a barrel roll and dashed into the clouds. He didn't worry about the negotiations that would soon be taking place or even about the fact that he may fight old comrades in the Earth Alliance. This was how he spent his free time, honing his reaction times with old aircraft.

"Commander Rach, we have a message from Chairman Durandal of ZAFT" An engineer on the ground said.

"Relay the message" Vincent said.

"He wishes to meet with you in the Plants sir, at your earliest convenience"

A meeting with the chairman of ZAFT would be the beginning of an Alliance. Sensou had many talented pilots but too few resources to fight a full-scale war with the Earth Alliance alone. Tasha's black ops team had been investigating the Junius Seven footage and had determined that explosives that had to have been organised by someone in ZAFT caused the event. Forming an alliance would be a good way of working inside the system and finding out who caused the disaster and being in a good position to take them down.

"Have my landing team ready, I'm coming down" Vincent said.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Branden held a scowl across his face as he walked through the streets of Orb. He was unused to the peace of this country and even disliked that peace. No one dared to speak with him, as they knew of his connection to Sensou. He wasn't wearing his uniform, but his face had been seen in newspapers and on the TV. Branden had been quite vocal in his defence of Vincent's actions a year ago, believing that there was no line to cross when it came to saving lives. When he saw who he was looking for his scowl dropped, but the disdain in his eyes remained. Standing by a coffee stand was a red haired man wearing a brown trench coat. A scar ran across his throat while underneath his shirt he also had numerous battle scars.

"Casvall" Branden said.

Casvall nodded his head at the young Middle Eastern teen, pointing to a keg of beers he was carrying. Branden smirked, though hid a scowl at Casvall's lack of communication. He couldn't help it, his vocal chords had been damaged in a bar fight. Branden and Casvall didn't share many things in common; they only had one thing in common. A place they visited often, Casvall removed a cap from his beer bottle and raised it for a toast. Branden took his can and tapped it against the bottle. They sat by a gravestone with the name "Sakon Date". Unbeknownst to them a group of men in black suits watched them. They reached for the knives on their belts as they prepared to attack.

* * *

Elsewhere, Cagalli sighed as she sat down at her desk. Her meeting with the council was faced with multiple criticism on her policies. It was mainly in connection to a possible Alliance with the EA. Cagalli knew that such an alliance wasn't right, yet Yuuna put forward a very convincing argument about what had happened the last time Orb refused the Earth Alliance. Some Orb technicians set up a screen that Cagalli and the council would use to communicate with Dagger Thanos. Cagalli had never met Thanos face to face, but his reputation was often confusing. Some people called him a man of honour; others called him a ruthless fighter. The man sat at his desk alone, looking Cagalli in the eyes and ignoring the presence of the other council members.

"Cagalli Yula Athha, at last we meet, I trust your country is doing well" Dagger said.

"Yes Commander…"

"My title is now Admiral Miss Athha, though perhaps in time you will earn the right to call me by my old title"

"Admiral Thanos, do you not think that now is an inappropriate time to be establishing direct contact with us?" Cagalli asked.

"Perhaps, but I'm afraid political correctness must be thrown aside for the survival of my people"

"And what do you mean by "your people"?" Yuuna asked.

"I currently have a few dozen Orb immigrants under the protection of Lady Mina Sahaku whom has joined my faction, there are others but at this time I am not willing to reveal the exact number of civilians under my care" Thanos explained.

"Though you and I never met we did fight together as part of an alliance, however that was when the war consumed Orb" Cagalli said.

"War is inevitable because of the Earth Alliances foolish propaganda while people within your own government are likely to stab you in the back…no they're actually shove you off a cliff and run the other way" Dagger said, looking at Yuuna from the corner of his eye.

"Orb's policy has always been neutrality, we will not attack another nation, nor will we allow ourselves to be attacked by another nation, and we will not intervene in the conflicts of other nations, my father held onto this policy until the end…"

"And look what it got him" Dagger said.

Cagalli grinded her teeth together while Dagger raised his hand.

"I apologise, I have deep respect for your father, but in this new era you as a young leader will not be taken seriously unless you have the support of an elder, the Earth Alliance knows this and will seek to pressure you from both the outside and inside your council chambers, however I suggest an Ultimatum, a way for Orb to continue to live in peace but also to use its power to make a difference…an alliance between my nation and yours, my army and I will provide with complete protection against any force that seeks to attack you as well as political guidance in exchange for materials and medical supplies as well as shelter for my people, thirty percent of your trade profits and the retirement of all current council and noble members from Orb's political decisions…"

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Yuuna's father yelled.

"Actually it's a lot better than the bloodshed and scraps you'll be left by the Earth Alliance" Dagger said casually.

Yuuna glared at the military commander, whom remained calm as he awaited Cagalli's answer.

"I am sorry admiral, but I am afraid Orb's policies must stand, what ever game your playing it's a dangerous one, what assurance can you give us that your mere presence will not turn our nation into an even greater target, can you protect our one nation as you protected Junius Seven?" Cagalli asked.

Dagger squeezed his hands together as he took a calm breath. He sighed as he got off his chair and looked Cagalli in the eyes.

"I can give Orb a greater chance than the Earth Alliance would have, reject my offer if you want but share the Alliance the same courtesy and do not leave Orb even for one second in the hands of these fools blinded by their ambition and "nobility"" Dagger said, glaring at the noble men. "My offer still stands, there is a number on your personal computer, memorise that number and call me if you ever change your mind"

Dagger cut the connection and cursed, slamming his hand into his door.

"Don't doom Orb daughter of Hibiki" He said.

* * *

Yuuna walked to his desk, smiling at Cagalli's decision. When the Earth Alliance knocked at their door she would give in to his advances. Sitting at his desk he opened his laptop, leaning back as a blackened face appeared.

"Mr Ambition, its good to hear from you again" Yuuna said.

"I am General Ambition Seiran, did Cagalli do as I predicted?" The voice on the computer asked.

"Everything and more, soon I will have her as my bride"

"Yes, continue to arrogantly believe that women will fall at your feet, we all know that if not for Djibril then you wouldn't get anything you wanted, I will help you fulfil your ambitions Seiran and help your family rise to the top of Orb and beyond, you will go ahead with your plans as usual and try not to worry about Athha's other child, if there's one man who will destroy you and your ambitions it is this "Casvall", he will be dealt with I assure you of that" Ambition explained.

Yuuna smiled while on the edge of a cliff face Casvall threw his bottle aside. He turned to a group of men walking out of the bushes. Branden clicked his fists together as the men drew their knives. Further away from the scene, Silver Mask's right eye flashed before he rushed towards the coming battle.

Next Chapter 13: Assassins in a land of peace

* * *

Lion's Silence preview

"What future is there for Earth? How can it survive when its people poison it with pollution and war?"

A Blue Slash Zaku Phantom swung its Tomahawk around, slashing two Dagger L's in half. Then a Green Zaku fired its main cannon, cutting a Windam in half. Suddenly a Red Zaku flew past the two machines, equipped with a vizard back that boosted its speed beyond normal Zaku's. It fired its beam rifle, shooting several Windam's in their chests and then cleaving a ships bridge in half with the boomerang axe.

Flay Alster sat in her office, looking over the list of casualties. She sighed and called in Natarle.

"What is it chairwoman?" Natarle asked.

Flay's hands shivered as she looked up at Natarle.

"Casvall, he's disappeared…please find him!"

(Gackt-Mind forest)

"ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

A Sensou base class ship exploded, sending a Gundam and the red Hyaku Shiki flying backwards. The Red Hyaku Shiki looked around, its eyes flashing as a glowing machine appeared before it. It spread out its arms, releasing dozens of funnels.

The White Base prepared for launch with its partner ship in this mission, a ship similar in design to the Dominion. Natarle narrowed her eyes while Bright Noa swung his arm forward.

"White Base launching, our mission is to bring in Casvall!" He said.

**Emma Sheen**

"Casvall was out of control, he attacked our forces without mercy, what are you prepared to do to stop him if he's really lost control?"

A White and Blue Slaughter Dagger fired at a group of Hizack's, flying between the two machines. It then drew a beam sabre, slashing two Hizack's in half. Emma Sheen narrowed her eyes at a Red Hyaku Shiki as it flew in the middle of the Hizack group.

_Gyunei Guss_

"Leonard lives on and his influence and hate has spread to others, Casvall may be working with him, if so then he is my enemy!"

The Jagd Doga released is funnels, shooting down a volley of missiles. Gyunei grinded his teeth together as he fired back at his attackers. With a yell he released a surge of Newtype power.

_Kaite Madigan_

"I hate to admit it, but Casvall may be a renegade, I mean why is he the only Sensou crew member that survived the attack, how did the attacker know exactly when and where to attack?"

The Devine Testament engaged its attack mode, slamming its claw into the Hyaku Shiki's sabre.

"CASVALL IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE THEN COME BACK WITH US!"

**Katejina Loos**

"WE ARE THE INHERITORS OF THIS WORLD! OUR LEADER IS LIGHTING THE WAY TO A NEW ERA! ONE WITHOUT YOUR PATHETIC EARTH!"

**Uso Evin**

"KATEJINA!"

The Victory Gundam and Gottrlatan dived towards one another with beam blades drawn. Both machines slashed one another across the chest.

**Cecily Fairchild**

"My father and another is turning old mercenary companies from Jupiter into a new faction, they want to take advantage of the chaos on Earth"

A white and purple mobile suit known as a Vigna Ghina flew through waves of missiles, firing it's beam rifle every chance it got. Several funnels appeared around it, shooting its right arm and legs off. The shadowed Gundam's eyes glowed as the masked figure underneath it smirked.

Casvall pushed his Hyaku Shiki to its absolute limit as it flew towards a gigantic purple mobile suit. The Psycho Gundam Mark 2 opened its arms and unleashed a storm of beams. Everything went silent as the Hyaku Shiki was struck by one of the beams. Natarle and Bright Noa yelled out for Casvall as the Hyaku Shiki resumed its assault on the giant.

"CASVALL!"

A ghostly image appeared before Casvall as he sat on the shoulder of his machine. The mute pilot widened his eyes and reached out to the man he would have called father. But the image faded and he stared at his hand.

"Don't give up hope my son, whatever happens never stop believing"

A red Gundam waved it's mane around as it drew its beam sabre. The lion didn't roar, but his charge towards its target spoke more than any roar.

"Father…Sakon, WHAT HOPE IS THERE FOR EARTH!"

Lion's Silence coming soon

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter


	14. Assasins in a land of peace

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam Seed

John Alaric/Victor Cain is property of Akatsuki leader13

Sheryl Mercis is the property of 00virtuezero

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 13: Assassins in a land of peace

Mud sprayed across the gravestones, covering the names of soldiers that had died. Light reflected from the blades of the covert operatives. They made no sounds and struck with killer intent. A blade stabbed into a red shirt, which was quickly wrapped around the Assassins arm. Casvall wrapped his shirt around the Assassin's shoulder, pulling their faces together. The head bash knocked the Assassin back and the shirtless Casvall slammed his foot into the Assassin's face. He struck like the Assassins, silent and without a word. Unlike the eager young man who accompanied him.

"COME ON ASSHOLES!" Branden yelled, slamming his fist into an Assassin's head.

Branden stood his ground as the Assassins crept around him. He rushed forward, grabbing an Assassin's arm and twisting it around. Slamming his knee against the man's stomach, Branden then threw him off the edge of the cliff. He rolled backwards, grabbing an Assassin's arm and pressing his foot against his stomach. With a grunt, Branden threw the man over himself, sending him sliding across the dirt.

"WHOSE NEXT!"

Casvall side stepped a knife thrust and punched the Assassin across the head. Then he ducked and threw another opponents over his shoulder. Swinging around, Casvall grabbed an assassin's wrist and repeatedly slammed the palm of his hand into the man's face. Then he pulled his fist back and punched the attacker across the mud. More assassins ran out of the bushes, their backs hunched as they drew their blades. Branden reached into his jacket, cursing as he remembered he'd left his pistol at home. Suddenly, light reflected off of a helmet as Silver Mask landed between the two Sensou pilots and the unknown assassins. His eye glowed as he looked at the armed men.

"Come on, who dies first?" Silver Mask asked.

The overeager assassins all ran forward.

* * *

Kojiro had been reading in the public library. Help books was a common read for him. "The key to socialisation techniques" and "Orbs top 100 jokes" was his current reading line. He turned the pages of his books, taking note of advice about humour and social techniques.

'Hmmm, some people prefer nicknames over their actual names, these names are usually based on a physical feature or something they have done in the past' Kojiro thought.

He raised his head, looking for any of his fellow Sensou members to test his techniques out on. But strangely the whole library was deserted. Even the receptionist was gone. Kojiro put his books in his bag, reaching for another item he would keep close by. When he heard the sound of metal he let his training take over. He pulled a blue scabbard out of his bag, using it to catch the blade of a black suited assassin. Kojiro then slid the Katana out of the sheath and pointed the blade at the assassin's neck.

"Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on people" Kojiro said, his neutral expression never changing.

More assassins burst out of the vents, drawing blades from their belts. Kojiro looked at his opponents, six in total. They were well equipped for stealth in the night or jungle, but they stood out in the library. Jumping onto the table, Kojiro held his sword in a pose as he awaited his attackers. Their feet moved fast as they rushed towards the Sensou member. They kept held of their blades as they jumped towards Kojiro. He slashed one assassin across the waist, and then ducked under a kick from another. Spinning around, Kojiro slammed his blade into two Assassin daggers, knocking them out of the air and to the carpet. He flipped over another assassin, appearing behind the assassins and holding his blade in a defensive stance. Kojiro then ran forward, swinging his blade towards his attackers.

* * *

At the Sensou air base, Vincent removed his mask and helmet as he climbed out of the old harrier jet he'd just been piloting. He watched as the mechanics began working on the data of the machine. One mechanic was looking over the cockpit, but Vincent knew it was unnecessary. It had become a common occurrence for the mechanics not to touch the cockpit unless their commander told them something was wrong. Although Vincent remembered that he had left his helmet in there, the young man was probably going to get it.

"Don't mind him, he's new" A black haired woman said as she gave Vincent a bottle of water and a paper pad.

Vincent unscrewed the water and tipped it over his head. Then he read the pad; it had been a report from Sai on relief efforts. Hundreds alone had been wounded and some civilians were still missing. The woman who had given him the water called for some of the mechanics to follow her. Some of them followed, but Don stayed to work on the jet. As Vincent walked along he looked to the woman Sheryl Mercis. She was thirty-seven despite her younger appearance and acted as sort of a mother figure to many of the younger members of Sensou.

"What's up Vincent?" She asked.

At the moment she was wearing blue Sensou mechanics overalls but she did occasionally wear the standard officers uniform.

"How are your parents?" Vincent asked.

"They're fine, we went to visit Wes's grave today…it wasn't easy" Sheryl said.

Vincent nodded his head, he'd known Sheryl's son but had never actually spoken to him personally.

"Sir wouldn't you like to test flight the harrier again?" The new mechanic asked.

"No, I think it's about time I met with Cagalli, we need to discuss the direction that Orb will take from this point on" Vincent said.

"Hopefully they'll remain neutral, although I'm not holding my breath" Sheryl said.

The young mechanic lowered his cap as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a knife and rushed towards Vincent. Suddenly, Vincent grabbed the man's wrist and slammed his head into his. Then he tripped him up and slammed his fist into the assassin's gut.

"Restrain that man" Vincent said.

Sheryl picked up the knife while the other Sensou mechanics pinned the man to the ground. Vincent put a hand to his chin as he contemplated the assassin's presence. Someone was really desperate to get him out of the way. He widened his eyes as he remembered what the spy had been doing earlier. Breaking off into a run, Vincent barged past several officers and straight towards the harrier hanger.

"EVERYONE GET CLEAR OF THE JET!" Vincent yelled.

The spy had been putting a bomb into the jets cockpit. When he heard that Vincent wasn't intending on flying he attempted a sneak attack in desperation. Vincent yelled out for the mechanic staff to clear the area. Don was climbing into the cockpit, retrieving the helmet that Vincent had left in there. He looked to Vincent in confusion before the jet exploded. The shockwave threw Vincent and some of the other mechanics back. Sheryl looked at the scene in shock before turning to the assassin. She punched the man across the head and grabbed his fringe.

"Who put you up to this?" She demanded.

Vincent got up off the floor and looked towards the wreckage.

"DON!" Vincent yelled.

He ran to the fiery wreck and pulled pieces of scrap off of the burnt mechanic. Don was writhing in agony, screaming at the top of his lungs. Vincent knelt down beside him, grabbing his hand as he yelled out one final time. When the silence passed, the Sensou crew knew that they had just lost one of their own. They each turned to the restrained spy as Sheryl delivered another punch to his face. Vincent remained silent as he walked towards the assassin. He grabbed the mans mouth and nose, prying it open.

"He has a cyanide capsule, Someone get a pair of pliers and make sure he doesn't bite down" The commander said fiercely.

The mechanics nodded their heads as they held the spy tightly. Assassins like these would have had suicide pills hidden within their teeth. Sheryl gave Vincent the pliers he needed and decided to inform Nena of Don's death. She didn't cringe at the sight of blood, but she didn't join Sensou to take part in torture of spies that were as young as her own son before his death. Vincent however had just lost a friend and one way or another he was going to get answers.

* * *

The Minerva was a buzz with the sight of ZAFT and Orb technicians. Joe settled for watching them work as he sat atop his Kampfer. He twirled a knife in his hand, sharpening the blade with a rock he kept. Rey was inside carrying out target practice while the girls and Shinn were out on shore leave. Talia was overseeing the repairs and communicating with command while Arthur was doing whatever he does.

"Ah the land of peace, although I cant wait to actually get back into the field" Joe said to himself.

"I hope your joking, getting back into the field usually involves getting shot at"

Joe looked down and narrowed his eyes at the two men waiting for him. He smirked as he jumped off the suits shoulder, landing on the bonnet of a van. Then he slid off the bonnet and looked the two men in the eye. One was a desert fighter judging from his tanned skin and the scar indicated his status as a veteran. The man beside him had black hair and looked to be the same age, tilting his sunglasses to reveal a pair of grey eyes.

"The Hawk and the Tiger" Joe said.

"Shhh, you'll give the game away" The black haired man said.

"Shut up Alaric"

"Call me John, actually Victor will probably do here" John Alaric said.

Andrew Waltfeld shook Joe's hand too. The ZAFT ace and former ZAFT commanders walked along the side of the Minerva.

"ZAFT seems to be doing well with us gone" John said.

"Yep, although we'll probably have another war on our hands, that means your kids will be out on the battlefield" Andy said.

"Yeah but Diane's doing well with the fleet, her promotion is well deserved"

Joe leant his arms against the two former commanders backs.

"Are you two enjoying retirement?" He asked.

"Hey we haven't retired" Andy pouted.

"We could still kick ass and take names, but we'd prefer to fix up coffees for our room mates" John explained.

"Yeah, Orb sells some good beans"

Joe shook his at their coffee obsession and climbed into the back of their jeep.

"Looks like you guys need to make a supply run, want some help with the heavy lifting?" Joe asked.

"Still looking for an excuse to slack off?" Andy asked.

"Now children lets not fight, we'll need some help getting some shells for the Minerva's guns, supplied courtesy of Sensou I believe" John said.

Joe laughed as John started the engine. A black suited figure watched them leave from the bushes. His eyes lacked pupils and a steel mask was wrapped around his neck and mouth. Grunting he took a pad he held and tapped on it, bringing up a communications feed. The screen showed the back end of a chair, looking out at space.

"Has their been any progress?" The man on the other side of the feed said.

"One Sensou mechanic was apparently killed, but the spy was caught, sir" The masked man said.

"Fine, you know what to do General if they fail"

"Yes sir, I promise I will not fail"

"If you do fail General Sin ensure that you take what you've learnt to heart, use that lesson to do better next time, or better yet get your hands dirty yourself for a change" The man explained before cutting the feed.

The masked man General Sin crushed the communicator and continued to stare at the Minerva in fury.

* * *

Branden head butted an assassin and drove his fist into another's stomach. Casvall flipped two assassins onto their back and looked to Silver Mask. The masked man was striking the assassins without mercy, delivering quick jabs and kicks that smashed their helmets. One assassin ran towards Silver Mask's left side, thrusting a knife forward. Casvall stepped in the way, catching the hand and twisting the knife out of the assassins grip. He then elbowed the killer's head and looked Silver Mask in the eye. They both looked one at one another for a moment, standing back to back before rushing forward.

* * *

Kojiro pierced his sword through an assassin's chest and slashed two more across their waists. The other assassins slammed their blades against Kojiro's sword, leaning into their strikes to push him back. Swinging his blade back, Kojiro side stepped a swipe and then slashed the assassin across the neck. Twirling his blade in his hand he then knocked a blade from one of the assassins hands. Grabbing the blade, Kojiro then stabbed both weapons into the assassins' chest. Two more assassins stood their ground and gripped their blades tightly as they stared Kojiro down.

* * *

Vincent walked out of the hanger, removing his blood stained jumpsuit. He threw the clothes into a bin and walked away as the mechanics dragged the toothless spy away. Leaning his head against a wall, Vincent grinded his teeth together before letting out a yell.

"DAMN IT!" He yelled.

He kicked a tray of tools off of its trolley and looked up at the Jegan. The components for the burning armour had been put away in storage away from any potential spies. Yet there was still a risk that the Jegan had been sabotaged as well. Climbing up the ladder, Vincent opened the cockpit of the machine and checked over the systems.

"_What the hell are you doing?" _Gekido would have demanded of him.

Moving the Jegan forward, Vincent showed little emotion as the alarms blared. Sheryl and Nick looked away from their workstations and widened their eyes as the Jegan marched out of its hanger. The Jegan's knee joints began to sizzle while electricity ran up its arm. Nick rushed to get a medical kit while Sheryl began typing away at the radio.

"Commander Rach get out of the machine now" Sheryl said.

Vincent gripped the controls tightly as static went across his view screen. The armour of the Jegan began to crumble while its visor cracked.

"What kind of sabotage is this, could it be a virus of some kind?" Vincent wondered.

Suddenly the cockpit of his machine opened and Nick grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"EVERYONE MOVE!" Nick yelled as he dragged Vincent out of the machine.

The Jegan stumbled across the airfield, cracks continuing to run across its armour. Suddenly, the eye visor took on a red colour before the machine flew into the air. Sensou officers and mechanics watched as the Jegan flew further and further towards the clouds. It spread its arms out and exploded in a cloud of energy. The shockwave knocked some of the Sensou workers back. Sheryl widened her eyes in shock at the readings on the computer. Nicky bought Vincent to the hanger they were working in and both men looked at the laptop read outs.

"I checked the Jegan's last schematic read out, a component had been added to it that wasn't there before" Sheryl said.

"A bomb that destroys not only the mobile suit but crashes the system so that the pilot cant get out" Vincent said. "At least in theory"

"What do you mean sir?" Nick asked.

"You managed to open the cockpit and pull me out in time"

"I did pull you out but I'm not the one who opened the hatch" Nick said.

Vincent ran a hand through his hair before slamming them against a table. He narrowed his eyes and looked to Sheryl.

"Get me a phone and contact the Plants, also send the order for our factories to begin mass production of the Jegan's, and get me my replacement suit the ReZEL" Vincent said.

Sheryl looked at her commander in shock while Nick stepped back slightly.

"Sir, are you serious, bringing out the ReZEL is one thing but mass producing the Jegan…"

"A WAR IS COMING! THE EA HAS UPGRADED THEIR SUITS AND SO HAS ZAFT! IF WE DON'T GAIN STRENGTH NOW THEN WE DESERVE DESTRUCTION!" Vincent yelled.

He ran to his office and opened his drawer. Taking out his old EA uniform, Vincent looked at the blue jacket before ripping it in half.

"_So that's is huh, you're just going to give into hatred?"_

"No, I'm not doing that, I know that the spy was lying, he has to be…I cant fight this war as a former Earth Alliance soldier, rather I have to fight this war as the supreme commander of the Sensou and ZAFT joint coalition" Vincent said to himself and the journal of his mentor as he put on his Sensou jacket.

He gripped the small journal tightly before opening it and pressing a pen to the paper of a free page.

_If you want peace, then prepare to defend yourself, if you want revenge then forget peace. Revenge and peace do not come hand in hand; one is a pointless dream while the other is unachievable. But what I do know is this, I will fight for those that have been lost but it wont be for revenge. I'll fight and remember them, remember their names, their faces as I fly to battle. Peace is a dream and revenge though achievable is useless. The hate ends with me, I'll release aggression into my strikes but I wont hate my enemy, I will look and talk to my enemy with rage but I wont hate him. Rage will be a weapon I'll use for combat, but not to push this world into war. If the hate doesn't stop then nothing will change in this world. I'll fight for the promise of order and for the memories of the people lost because of warmongers._

He slammed the book shut and put it in his pocket before taking the phone Sheryl offered him.

"Is this the Chairman's office, tell him to call me back as soon as he can and to strengthen his border patrol unit" Vincent said.

"Commander why are you giving ZAFT advice like that?" Sheryl asked.

"Two days, that's how long until the Earth Alliance will launch its attack, get Casvall into space so that he can lead the mobile suit forces we'll be sending there" Vincent explained, throwing out orders like a natural instinct. "Prepare ships for launch into space and out into the region, I want all crews gathered and sent out for launch before the Alliance sends its offer to Orb"

"You're asking us to evacuate Orb?" Nick asked.

"That's what I'm ordering Armstrong, get your gear together and get moving, call Kojiro and Branden, tell them to get their suits and meet me at the coordinates I'll be sending to their PDA's"

Nick and Sheryl watched the commander leave, slightly taken aback by his new fire. But they quickly adjusted and got to work. Sheryl began calling Sensou members to cancel leave and to get their families to the office. Nick called Sensou factories across the globe and told them to begin mass production of the Jegan units and to prepare Sensou shuttles and ships for launch across the ocean and up into space.

* * *

The Purpose Mark 2 flew through trees and rocks as it approached the Green Frame. Slamming its fist against the Astray's rifle, the Purpose threw the machine back. Then it took flight into the air, dodging Triskeros missiles fired by the Gold Frame. Mina moved her machine to the right and crew one of her swords. She swung the blade at the Gundam, but much to her shock it caught the blade between its hands. Mina then ignited the beam sabre on her shield and swung it towards the Purpose's face. Suddenly, the Gundam gave off a crimson pulse, knocking the Gold Frame back.

"That thing is as powerful as Thanos said it would be" Trojan said.

"Don't get too worried Trojan, we can still drive it to expend some energy" Mina said.

The Purpose flew downwards, slamming its leg into the Green Frame's head and snatching its rifle. Then the AI machine smacked the piloted Gundam across the head, knocking it to the ground. Mina aimed at the Purpose and fired another volley of Triskeros missiles. However much to her shock, several beams flew into the missiles, destroying them in midair. Mina turned to where the blasts had come from, trying to find the sniper.

"An enemy?" She wondered.

Flying upwards, the Purpose drew its beam sabre and slashed off the Gold Frame's arm, the same arm it had stolen from the body of the Blitz. Grabbing the appendage, the Purpose then smacked the Gold Frame across the head, shattering its eye lenses. Mina watched in shock as the Purpose flew off, carrying her Gold Frame's arm with it. Jeremiah laughed as he watched the scene, holding a bag of popcorn and shoving the snacks down his mouth.

"What a creative method of fighting, hit your enemy with its own weapon, I've got to build myself an AI unit, or at least see these other Purposes" Jeremiah explained.

"Sir, what of this sniper?" Jessica asked.

"What of him, he hasn't shot down any of ours yet, when he does then he'll become a threat" Jeremiah said.

He leant back and watched as the Purpose Mark 2 flew into the sunset.

* * *

Over in Orb, Kojiro stabbed the final assassin in the chest and answered his phone. He listened to Vincent's orders and acknowledged them. Sheathing his sword, he left the bodies and walked out of the library. Branden grabbed an assassin's arm and threw him over his shoulder. He spat on the assassin's helmet before turning to Silver Mask and Casvall. With eyes wide in shock, Branden watched as Casvall and Silver Mask fought like one. Casvall stood to Silver Mask's left, slamming his elbow into an assassin's face. Silver Mask slammed his head against an assassin and then punched another in the gut. The two men then jumped around, kicking the final two assassins to the ground.

"He couldn't be" Branden said.

Casvall looked at Silver Mask for a moment before looking to a conscious assassin. Silver Mask walked away while Branden grabbed the assassin's neck.

"Talk, who put you up to this?" He asked.

"Like we'll tell you" The assassin said.

"If you don't tell me then I'll throw you all off the edge" Branden said.

"A useless threat, but I don't see any point in fighting any more"

Branden lifted the man off the floor, throwing him against a tree and waiting for him to answer. The other assassins looked to him and nodded.

"Code word: Gundam's suck!"

Branden widened his eyes in horror as the assassins helmets sparked with electricity. The assassins screamed as they convulsed in agony. Casvall merely looked at the grave they had come to visit, ignoring the suicides of the assassins around him.

"What the hell was that?" Branden asked.

The Middle Eastern team cursed, remembering that Casvall couldn't answer his questions, even though he knew exactly what had happened. These assassins had devices built into their brains that would react to a code word spoke from their own tongue. They were a new form of suicide fighters. Branden grabbed his phone and listened to Vincent's orders.

"What, we're going to the Minerva, but why?" Branden asked.

"Don't question the order Branden, have your mobile suit ready at the location I'm sending you" Vincent said.

"BUT MY GUNDAM IS TRASHED!" Branden yelled.

His yelling fell on deaf ears as Vincent hung up the phone. Vincent parked his car at the beach car park and walked over the hill. Flay smiled as she waved for Vincent to come over. As Vincent walked towards Kira and Lacus's ruined house he remembered something that had been written in Gekido's journal.

_Some people have an extraordinary ability, the ability to tell whether or not today will be a bad day from the second they wake up. Unfortunately I have that ability and today is a bad day._

'This whole years gonna be a bad one Gekido' Vincent thought.

Next Chapter 14: Memories of comfort and pain

* * *

Lions Silence Preview

Silence, that was all there was in space. You would hear nothing for miles if you floated alone. There was no comfort, no light. The wreckage of a Qubeley tapped against the side of a destroyed Gundam. And still nothing could be heard, no cries, no comfort, only silence.

"AAAAAGH!"

"HE'S AWAKE!"

"Damn it, someone knock him out, we're not performing surgery on a live…AAAGH!"

"Someone get the tranquillisers before his psycho waves go out of control"

"He's already out of control, is bringing him back really worth it?"

"SAKON DATE! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Strap him down now!"

"RAAAGH! FOUR…WHERE ARE YOU!"

Beams and missiles flew across space, slamming against ships and hitting mobile suits. A GM impaled a Dagger, but was quickly shot by a Windam. Zaku's fired their missile launchers, hitting Windams and Daggers alike. A Black Zaku Kai threw its axe, slamming into a ZAFT Zaku. Two Jegan's flew around a Musai Class carrier, firing their grenades into the bridge. The footage of the battle paused and a man in uniform turned to face his soldiers. His uniform was black with red lining on the collar. Pilots of various ages and backgrounds looked at him as he spoke. They shared the same uniform and thus the same ideal.

"Though we are small in number, our light will lead this world to a new age, an age where humanity can reach its full potential in space, by leaving the confines of Earth's gravity humanity will finally rise and take on the power and understand that comes with being a spacenoid, with being a Newtype" The officer explained. "I guarantee to all of you, I swear on the honour of the Zabi family that we will rise as the new inheritors of this world, HAIL ZEON!"

**Gihren Zabi**

"Durandal has his schemes, Thanos has his vaunted honour and Djibril's madness will drive Earth to further ruin, the time has come for humanity to finally abandon the gravity of that poisoned planet"

(Gackt Longing)

**Cronicle Asher**

The Rig Contio charged its beam cannon and cut a Sensou Salamis Kai in half. Then it drew its beam sabre and slammed it against the shield of a Jegan. Inside the Contio, a pilot in a yellow flight suit with a white mask yelled as he impaled the mobile suit.

"I am an ace pilot of Zeon, what makes you think any of you can fight me?" He asked.

He fired a claw from his Contio's shoulder, grabbing a GM and pulling it towards his sabre.

"The whole world is changing, those who don't adapt to that change deserve to die, don't get in the way of us changing this world for the better"

**Ginias Sahalin**

"You left our family years ago Aina, do not question what I do with our fortune, when the world changes it will be my name that echoes as the one whose genius changed this world"

Aina slapped her brother across the face, glaring at him with tears in her eyes.

"Earth was our home once too you know, why destroy it?" She asked.

Ginias frowned at his sister before swinging his arm back.

Funnels flew around Sensou Jegan's, shooting them from all directions. Natarle yelled out for her crew to fire their selection of missiles. But each missile was intercepted by a beam blast. A Gundam covered by shadows fired its beam rifle, creating an explosion at the front of the Sensou ship.

"Don't let up, all mobile suits focus on the G-Type mobile suit" Natarle said.

**Roux Louka**

"Damn it, what the hell is Casvall thinking, Roux Louka launching in the Zeta Gundam" The light haired girl said.

The Zeta Gundam flew out of the Sensou base class ship. It's arms and legs folded as it transformed out of Wave rider mode. Roux armed her beam rifle and flew forward towards the battlefield.

"Come on bad boy, try to keep up"

**Judau Ashta**

"Would you quit calling me that Roux, okay here we go…ahem…DOCKING TO FORM DOUBLE ZETA!"

The parts of the ZZ formed together and the bulky mobile suit spread its arms out. Judau flew the mobile suit forward, preparing both beam cannon and sabre for the coming fight.

"I cant believe we have to fight Casvall" Judau said.

"Quit complaining Judau, how difficult can one guy be against two Gundam's?" Roux asked.

The Hyaku Shiki suddenly threw out of the debris field, flying straight towards the Gundams.

"He's attacking head on?" Judau asked.

Casvall kicked the Double Zeta across the head then flew underneath the Zeta Gundam. Roux yelled as something slammed into the back of her mobile suit, sending it crashing into the Double Zeta.

The mute man looked at the grave he visited and suddenly the scenery shifted to space. He looked around, his eyes wide in fear as he saw people floating around him. They all shared the same expression as they looked down at the Earth. Stumbling forward, Casvall found himself in a field of flowers. He looked at the back of a woman as she picked flowers. But as he reached out to her she faded and the flowers wilted and died.

"Father, what future is there for Earth, when we are the ones who will destroy it?"

**Rosamia Badam**

"Even though you cant talk, I do know what your thinking, how Gihren seems like he's mad in his speeches, perhaps he is but I do know this, the man we really follow is leading us to a future in which all those whom live in space are free, that's a future we could share with those of Earth who are suffering because of Djibril's hatred"

Rosamia patted an orphan's head, smiling as the children played. She walked past Casvall, grabbing the shoulder of his shirt.

"You could become a hero to those children, children whom have lost families because of the greed of adults, if you dedicated yourself to reaching your full potential then you could become the leader that preserved all of our dreams"

A blue and black Strike E walked to the catapult, lining up with machines like the Berga Dalas and the Zoloat. Rosamia slid her faceplate down and flew out of the Zamouth Garr.

**Kincado Nau**

A Gundam unveiled an X shaped backpack as it threw off its cloak. The black haired pilot narrowed his eyes at the Hyaku Shiki. Drawing his beam sabre, he flew forward and slammed the blade against the Shiki's sabre.

"Casvall, you don't have to fight alone, you aren't alone you know that right?" Kincado asked.

Casvall pushed the Crossbone's Gundam back and drew both beam sabres. Kincado gave off his Newtype energy, trying to reach the silent pilot.

"CASVALL ATHHA!"

In the depths of a space colony a masked commander walked towards a gigantic machine. Hundreds of chambers had been attached to the machine and the masked man smiled as his scientists quivered.

"Sir, I don't see what capturing all these colonists will do for Gihren's plans" One of the scientists said.

"I once wondered what would happen if people shared the same dream, but that's foolish, because no one has the same dream…Gihren wants destruction, I want to show everyone their dreams and let them take an eternal comfort in those dreams" The masked man.

"But sir, Captain Leonard this is immoral"

"THIS IS WHY I SURVIVED!"

Alex Leonard burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Natarle opened her eyes, looking upon her crewmembers. She and Bright had a machine and they would carry it out.

"We have our orders, we are to eliminate the Zeon terrorist force, aid the contingent from Mars if the retrieval of their kidnapped civilians and if possible arrest Casvall for abandoning his post"

Gundam Liberty: Lion's Silence, coming soon

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter


	15. Memories of comfort and pain

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam Seed, note that some characters I am introducing are also from the Astray Manga, The Cgue Sword also belongs to 00virtuezero

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 14: Memories of comfort and pain

Captain Second Class Sai Argyle sat with a nervous expression inside the base class ship he was to command. The Churchill was a fine ship with some upgrades that rivalled the old Archangel. It was loaded onto a Sensou base mass driver to be launched towards space. Many Sensou bases were beginning to launch base class ships into space in order to join the Salamis Kai fleets in the construction of a headquarters for space. The Junk Guild would be assisting in the construction of the base in preparation for the war.

"Sir, we have finished loading up the new Jegan's" One of the CIC Ensigns said.

"Thank you, once the full crew is on board begin launch sequence" Sai said.

At first he'd been anxious about returning to space. But the call that Vincent helped him to realise that space needed plenty of experienced officers. It had been a while since he'd been in space but Vincent had confidence that Sai could command troops in space. Natarle and Kuzzey were already in space beginning construction of the Asgard colony facility. Ships travelling into space were loaded not just with equipment and mobile suits but also the different sections and materials for the massive space fortress Asgard. Captain Bright Noa wore a white space suit and oversaw construction efforts.

"Careful with those hull pieces they're part of the medical wing, I want the command centre finished first, and don't damage the components for the artificial atmospheres" Bright explained.

Natarle pressed several buttons on her touch pad, transferring Sensou funds to the Junk Guild in exchange for parts. Lowe Guile floated his Red Frame across the construction space, dragging wires attached to two corridors for the base. Custom Junk guild Astrays were passing crates and hull pieces to GM's. A GM command type used a heat laser to meld two pieces of metal together, working much like a bricklayer.

"Yes Mr Brahe I understand your concerns…rest assured I will personally tell Commander Rach and Chairwoman Alster of your problem…yes I'm sure they will allow you to participate in the search" Kuzzey said over the radio lines.

GM's flew off of Salamis Kai Class ships and began establishing a perimeter in face pirates got ambitious. Further away from the construction efforts several mobile pods flew towards the Earth. They were landing pods that carried mobile suits to survive re-entry. Several of the pods broke off and flew in separate directions. A Sensou radio operative took note of the heat sources.

"Sir, there are several unmarked landing pods falling into Earth's atmosphere" The Ensign said.

"Where are they heading?" The Salamis Kai Class captain asked.

"Wait a minute, there are actually several dozen landing pods sir, ten are heading to the Northern region of Afghanistan, Five to a region of Bosnia, seven to a region of Northern Africa and ten to a small continent on the Mediterranean" The Ensign explained.

"Hang on a second, those locations are known terrorist hideouts, Commander Rach never gave us the green light to take them out"

"Well it looks like someone is taking them down now…sir"

The mobile pods fell closer and closer into Earth's atmosphere, appearing to be shooting stars to some nations. However in the areas they were attacking there was a variety of conditions. The sunset on the Mediterranean, the moon was out in the Middle East and it was clear as day in other areas. Inside the cockpit of a machine, a blue haired pilot looked down at the region with a nervous expression on his face.

"Do we really have to do this?" He asked.

"We've got orders Socius, don't forget what Admiral Thanos did for you" A Scarred pilot said.

"O'Donnell's right, besides Dagger gave these guys an opportunity to really make a difference but they insisted on playing their terrorist games" A brown haired pilot said, he was wearing a green ZAFT flight suit and had a patch on one of his glasses lenses.

"Still Leons, wasn't there another way?" Socius asked.

"You should have asked that question before launching" A bitter voice said.

A pilot in a Black Storm flight suit opened his visor, revealing a man with a greying dark beard and a burnt right eye. He traced his finger over a photograph of his family before sliding the visor back over his face.

"Those people down there were given their chances and they have chosen to waste the generous opportunities that Dagger offered them, in a twisted attempt to change their lives or "serve gods will" they sought to deliberately murder others who didn't even care for their countries, trust me when we clear our their bases no one outside of our unit will shed tears for their deaths" The elder man explained.

The younger pilots nodded their heads before preparing themselves for battle. In the Middle East, the pods broke apart and revealed Black Zaku Kai's and Dom Trooper's painted with Black Storm armour and equipped with drill staffs. The lead machine fell ahead of the other mobile suits and was heavily customised. It was a Black Zaku Kai with larger shoulder shields and several rockets attached to its legs. The Zaku had two glowing eyes instead of the traditional one and was equipped with a heavy Gatlin gun on its back, an armour piercing machine gun on its left wrist and a staff with a sword attachment.

"Follow my lead" The Commander said.

"Yes Commander Krauss"

In the Bosnia campaign, Dom Troopers and Black GINN's were falling towards the ground. The lead machine was a Black Zaku Kai with a customised flight pack and a Zaku rifle. Its left shoulder had a blue bolt while like the other commander units the head was designed with two eyes and a horn. The bulking pilot inside scratched a scar across his cheek before sliding his faceplate down.

"All units, begin bombardment of enemy forces" He said.

"Affirmative Captain Sanada"

The Zaku Kai opened its flight pack and fired a volley of missiles, bombarding the terrorist base. In the Northern African campaign, mobile suits began to land in the Private military company encampment. The PMC Astray's fired at the Zaku Kai's, which fired back with machine guns and beam rifles. A Zaku Kai with thick legs hovered across the dry landscape, firing a beam bazooka. The massive beams destroyed several PMC Astray's. The Zaku Kai had a horn and two eyes like most commander units but it wasn't black, instead it had green colours on its arms and a brown chest area.

"What a bunch of idiots, not accepting Thanos's proposal" The short pilot said.

He was the opposite of his bulky machine, having very little muscle on his skinny frame. His hair had been shaved and dark rings were under his grey eyes.

"Now they can all die!" He said.

He then drew a long beam sabre and slashed two Astray's apart with one slash. Suddenly a brown GINN landed behind the Zaku and drew a Gerbera Straight Katana. The GINN pressed the blade against the back of the Zaku.

"Remember what Thanos said Xander Cane, do not hate your enemy" The Pilot of the GINN said.

"Shut up Un No!" Xander growled.

"If you continue down this path of ignorance Xander there will be no place for you in the world that Dagger creates" Un No said.

The GINN suddenly swung around, cutting an Astray in half. A Blue GINN with spikes on its armoured and words written on its wings ploughed through PMC forces. It fired the rocket anchors attached to its arm, crushing the cockpits of two Astray's. What appeared to be an upgraded Aegis switched out of its flight mode and slashed two Astray's across their chests. The Rosso Aegis then fired its beam rifle, shooting down two more Astrays. In the Mediterranean campaign, Marcus flew his Zaku Kai right into the heart of his enemy. His swords cut apart stolen GINN's and Strike Daggers.

"Wipe the enemy out, show no mercy" Marcus said.

A Red CGUE landed and drew its two beam swords. The blades extended and the beams surrounded the swords before the CGUE rushed forward. It was equipped with an assortment of close range weapons and two midrange beam pistols. Swinging its ignited beam swords around, the CGUE Sword cut several GINN's apart. Several Triskeros missiles then flew into a Strike Dagger. They were fired by an upgraded Blitz. The Blitz Nero fired its beam rifle alongside pitch black Astrays.

"Government sources believe that the battles taking place in known terrorist, Insurgent and private military company locations are the work of pilots bearing the symbols of the Black Storm faction" A reporter with blue hair and yellow streaks explained.

The camera attached to his mobile suits gun took videos of the smoke Mediterranean island. Media companies local to the areas being attacked were also covering the event. A Strike E raised its cannon, firing a blue and red beam into an Insurgent GINN. The Strike E had green phase shift armour that matched the Launcher pack it had been equipped with. A Hyperion G fired its submachine gun, shooting apart several Insurgent GINN's.

"Why are they attacking those regions?" Jess Rable wondered out loud.

He moved his Astray Out Frame closer towards the Mediterranean island, catching as many shots of the battle as he could. Later he would send the images to Miriallia Haw, whom would pass the videos onto Sensou before the major networks published any of articles.

* * *

Further away from the conflicts taking place Vincent now stood face to face with Lacus. He had his arms crossed while Flay looked between the two of them.

"Wow, this is awkward, so Vincent what's up?" Flay asked.

"Assassins just tried to kill me, Branden and Kojiro, they planted bombs at the airfield" Vincent said.

"Oh god, was anyone hurt?" Lacus asked.

"Don, one of my best mechanics"

Flay widened her eyes, knowing that the news would break Nena's heart.

"Flay I've given the order for all Sensou ships to leave Earth, right now they're working on building Asgard"

"Natarle told me about it, are things really going to be that bad?" Flay asked.

"Yes they are, I recommend that you get on a shuttle and go to the Plants" Vincent said.

"But…"

"You can spend two days with Kira at the most, but I wouldn't recommend staying when Orb starts enforcing its Neutrality treaty, The Earth Alliance knows that the Minerva is here and once it launches its assault on the Plants they'll be after ZAFT's most advance ship, Branden, Kojiro and I will stay with the Minerva" Vincent explained.

"Fine, I'll stay here for a few days before I set off" Flay said.

Vincent nodded his head before turning towards the road. Athrun and Kira had both gotten back from their drive and looked down at Vincent in confusion.

"Vincent, Cagalli just told me that Sensou ships have been piling onto Mass Drivers, what are you doing?" Athrun asked.

"We're leaving Orb and joining up with ZAFT, when the EA attacks The Plants they'll need help, as much help as they can get" Vincent explained, looking at Kira when he spoke.

"What about Sensou's policies?" Kira asked.

"I don't think you really have a say in Sensou policies Kira, four times, four times I asked both you and Lacus to help and you rejected the offers…what on Earth for?" Vincent asked.

"I don't think your wrong in fighting Vincent, but Lacus and I aren't wrong either, I am sick and tired of people killing one another, and I want no part of it anymore" Kira explained.

"That's why the Earth Alliance will attack the Plants Athrun" Vincent said. "Kira and Lacus can say otherwise but the cold hard reality is that no one on Earth gives a shit about the Plants"

"That's not true!" Kira said.

"Do you know what my parents said when they heard about Junius Seven being destroyed, they said "how terrible" and then we went back to eating dinner and watching day time TV, and when the EA starts attacking the Plants again the people of Earth are not going to be questioning why it is being done, instead they'll choke up the propaganda like babies on a tit"

"Vincent you don't mean what your saying your just angry because of Don, that wasn't your fault" Athrun said.

"My fault…I never said anything about blaming myself…god, its not easy to go to war you know, I…DAMN IT!" Vincent yelled.

He rubbed his eyes and forehead in frustration.

"Maybe, maybe if it had been Gekido then things would have been easier, maybe he would have done what needed to be done. Made the hard choices that I couldn't make" Vincent explained.

Athrun lowered his head while Kira walked forward. He placed his hand on Vincent's shoulder and smiled.

"If that's what you think Gekido was, ruthless and cruel then you didn't know him at all, Gekido was my friend but above all that he was a good person, he hated it but he couldn't fool any of us really. We all knew that Gekido Jaeger was a man who never compromised" Kira explained.

**Two years ago**

Kira stood with his friends on the Archangel's outside observation deck. The sun was out and everyone was enjoying the brief respite they had. Miriallia was leaning against Tolle's shoulder and Flay was applying sun tan lotion to her arms. Kira looked behind him and saw Gekido leaning against the wall. The grey haired pilot kept his eyes fixed on the ground, occasionally looking up at the sun.

"I can't believe the kinds of fish that live in the sea, the tech crew put a camera down below and so far I've seen twenty different kinds of sea creatures" Kuzzey explained.

"I'd say the oceans got the biggest animal habitat than every land region combined, the deeper you go the more you see" Sai said.

"Makes you wonder whether there's anything hiding out in space" Tolle said.

"Here we go…" Mir muttered.

"No I'm serious, there has to be something out there besides us, I'm telling you once we've got FTL we'll be going where no man has ever gone before"

The others laughed while Gekido shook his head. He walked off of the deck and into the ship itself.

"Gekido wait, my shift will be starting soon too, I've been thinking about the Strike and the Purpose and I was wondering, do you think the Purpose's weapons will go with the Strike?" Kira asked, following behind Gekido.

"Probably not but it would be worth a try, Cagalli's already been bothering me about letting her go on a test flight, but I'm letting anyone other than myself pilot that machine" Gekido explained.

"You take some real pride in that mobile suit don't you?"

"Don't you taker pride in yours?"

The two pilots walked onto the bridge to see half of the usual crew missing. Natarle was at CIC as always and Mu La Flaga was taking over for Neumann. Gekido walked around the captain's chair and checked over the CIC crew. Pal and Chandra were both working on radar and communications respectively.

"I trust you two enjoyed the Earth sunshine" Pal said.

"Yeah, although the others might not want to leave the deck" Kira said.

Chandra and Pal both laughed while Gekido took a seat beside them. He tapped the keyboard, checking diagnostics on the weapons. The statistics didn't show anything wrong with the weapons, though Gekido personally felt that it wouldn't hurt to check the guns themselves. Climbing out of CIC, Gekido then turned his head as he heard the radio crackling.

"Picked up a pretty bad radio signal, its an old channel as well" Chandra said.

"Is it a concern?" Natarle asked, walking over to the group.

"A distress signal ma'am, just a few clicks away from our position"

"Play the message" Mu said.

"Please if there are any ZAFT forces in the area we need help, Insurgents have come to our homes demanding our food, they've wiped out the ZAFT mobile suits here" A panicking man explained.

Gunshots could be heard over the radio along with the familiar footsteps of mobile suits.

"Pirates" Gekido growled.

"This is ZAFT controlled territory, they'll send reinforcements for that area" Natarle said.

"Are we just going to leave them then?" Kira asked.

"Even though they'll be using mediocre Insurgent type GINN's we cant afford to waste time on them" Mu said.

"The Purpose is fast enough at top speed, I could be in and out of the region fast and before ZAFT gets there" Gekido said.

"No Ensign Jaeger, the civilian casualties will be minimal when ZAFT arrives anyway" Natarle said.

"I can be out there quickly and reducing the likelihood of there even being any civilian casualties"

"Ten minutes…that's the estimated response time for ZAFT forces, try to save the town in that window of time and not a second after" Mu said.

"Commander…"

"Don't worry, if there's any machine that can get there and back in time it's the Purpose"

**Present Time**

The Purpose Mark 2 slowly transformed into its mobile suit mode and landed in a small street on an island. It had been drawn to this area for some strange reason. People were walking out of their owns and looking up in wonder at the machine.

"Father is that the machine?" One boy asked.

"Yes, that machine came to save us when we needed help the most" The man said.

The Purpose looked at the floor, noticing the scars of bullet craters. Looking at its hand, its databanks or "memory" flashed as it remembered. A version of it had come to this small village and had drive off a group of pirates. Clutching its head, the Purpose's armour groaned as more memories flooded its neural network.

_"GO AWAY!" Kira yelled as his seed shattered._

_Much to Zack's surprise he found himself being kicked into the Earth's gravity by the Strike. Gekido felt his body start to sweat and become heavier as he and Akushi were pulled into the atmosphere._

_"BRIAN WHY ARE YOU WITH ZAFT!" Gekido yelled over the radio._

_"Fool, I'M A COORDINATOR! MY FATHER IS A ZAFT COMMANDER! I AM AKUSHI THANOS AND THE FRIEND YOU KNEW WAS BUT A MASK!"_

_"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Gekido yelled defiantly._

_"THE KIND HEARTED FOOL YOU KNEW DIDN'T EXIST! ORB DOESN'T WANT PART OF THE FIGHTING! BUT NOW IT WILL PAY FOR ITS HYPOCRISY!" Akushi yelled as he aimed his rail guns._

_The eyes of Kira, Gekido and Zack widened as they saw what Akushi's target was. Gekido pushed down on the controls, ignoring Bigg's heat warnings. The Purpose extended its arm, hoping to intercept the shots. Akushi laughed sadistically as he fired the rail guns. Kira dropped his jaw in utter shock while Zack cursed ZAFT. To say Gekido was shocked was an understatement as he watched the target being blown apart. Akushi had just done the unthinkable; he shot down the civilian shuttle. Gekido had seen the faces of the civilians watching the battle, including Kisagi's and Tachi's. He remembered the little girl that had given him a flower, he remembered the pranks of his adopted siblings, and more importantly he remembered the times that Yamato had tried to get him to smile. The memories of friendship he had with Brian were gone._

_"Brother, sister…father!" Gekido whispered silently._

This memory caused anger, yet also feelings akin to depression in the neural network. Looking up at the sky, the Purpose zoomed its vision at the machines that had been following it. It searched its databanks and found the details of the mobile suits. Murasame Reconnaissance types, Orb mobile suits but the colourings identified them as Earth Alliance machines. Looking back down at the civilians, the Purpose tilted its head in confusion. Some of the children were playing by its feet while the men and women were going about their daily business. One girl looked up at the machine with a smile.

Another memory flashed before the Purpose's eyes. The girl had been younger and hiding behind a hut as the previous Purpose bought down a GINN with its bare hands. Now she looked up at the "brother" of the machine that had saved it with an emotion the Mark 2 didn't recognise. When it looked at it's earliest memories it felt only anger, amusement, pity and strangely regret. But that wasn't him was it? Gekido Jaeger never felt regret didn't he? Floating off of the ground, the Purpose then flew towards the islands hill and forest regions. It landed in the forest and crouched on the floor.

Jeremiah huffed, for the Murasame's couldn't see the Mark 2 through the trees. If he gave them the order to get closer there as a good chance that the Mark 2 would attack them. Turning to Jessica he nodded his head, there was no point in wasting resources watching the Purpose when it clearly wasn't a threat anymore. Although Jeremiah was still curious over what the Gundam had done to Jeremiah he would have to keep that curiosity at bay for now.

"Jessica please set up an appointment with Mr Hunter"

* * *

On Orb, Flay, Kira, Athrun, Lacus and Vincent sat on the beach and recalled the days that they had spent with Gekido. Vincent actually smiled as they told him about the kind of man Gekido used to be. The war and the people he encountered helped him to grow into the man he became at Jachin Due.

"When Gekido was around, you'd feel this odd sense of fear, yet when he was out in that field you knew that he was the man you could trust to fight" Flay explained, curling up to Kira.

"I already believed in the future of this world, but Gekido showed me a way of thinking I thought I'd never feel, I don't know why I loved him and I still don't know why I love him, alls I know is that he is one of many people who deserved peace" Lacus said.

Vincent lowered his head as he got off the sand.

"Everyone, I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier, those who choose to fight are not wrong, yet neither are those who have chosen not to fight" Vincent said.

"What are you going to do Vincent?" Kira asked.

"Fight as I always have, perhaps one day I'll be as good a man as Gekido was"

As Vincent walked away, Kira couldn't help but see Gekido walking beside him. He smiled as he realised that Vincent already was as good a man as Gekido had been. It took him back to that moment in the aftermath of Junius Seven. Kira and Flay floated into one another's arms. Just a few moments ago, Vincent had aided Kira in saving Flay from Rau Le Creuscet's Providence. The two lovers embraced one another and despite the work that had to be done, Vincent took comfort in the fact that Kira and Flay could have a life together.

"THIS IS MY PURPOSE!" Gekido yelled.

The Nenshou Kokoro swung its cannon around before firing a magnificent beam towards the giant mobile suit Omega. Pilots widened their eyes as the light from the explosion consumed the Nenshou.

"GEKIDO!" John yelled.

He flew his Farsight towards the explosion, but stopped as a one armed GINN blocked his path.

"Stop Commander Alaric, you're not going to do anyone any good" Joe said.

"But Gekido…"

"Commander I know he is your friend but we also have duties to our own men"

John sighed as he nodded his head, he began helping the wounded onto ships while Joe looked at the scene.

"You better have survived, Gekido Jaeger" Joe whispered.

Joe yawned as John and Andy loaded supplies onto their jeep. The three ZAFT aces had travelled into town to pick up food for Minerva's trip back to ZAFT's Carpenteria base. Much to their surprise Sensou had covered the cost of supplies.

"Are you actually going to get out and help?" John asked.

"Hey I'm already in shape, you old guys look as if you need to hone your skills" Joe smirked.

"Old guys!" The two friends growled.

Joe laughed as the two men dragged him off of the jeep and threw him into the crates, picking the crates up; he lifted one onto his shoulder and grinned at several women passing him by. They giggled while John and Andy shook their heads. Further downtown, The Hawke sisters walked out of several shops to see Nia listening to CD's in the music store.

"Hey Nia, enjoying shore leave?" Luna asked.

But Nia merely ignored the girls, remaining in a trance as she drifted into memories. She was with her family again, before the Bloody Valentine war broke out. Nia and her twin sister Lain had been the middle children of two human rights activists Amy and Tohru Holland. Lain was the dedicated one, the one always pleasing mom and dad. But Nia never doubted that her parents loved her. After all they were trying to achieve a peaceful solution to anti coordinator movements. One fateful day everything changed for the two girls. Their parents were to speak at a UN conference in Australia where Nia and Lain's older brother lived. The two activists bought the twins and their two youngest children with them.

"This is going to be too boring" Nia grumbled.

"Oh come on sis, its an escape from school" Lain said.

"Now girls what are you going to do when you see your brother?" Amy asked.

"Give him the biggest hug he's ever had" The two twins said.

Tohru smiled as he parked the car. The family walked towards the lobby of the hotel they'd be staying at. There, the eldest child was waiting. He smiled as he waved at his parents and siblings. Amy and Tohru walked with their sons towards the hotel with Nia and Lain falling behind slightly. A man wearing a black hood and gloves bumped into Lain, knocking her over.

"Hey, watch where your going dummy" Nia said, helping her sister up.

The man looked back and caused Nia to step back a bit. He had a scowl across his face and a cloth across his left eye. Nia bit her nail and the one eyed man merely smiled. He put his hands in his pockets and walked on. The two sisters rushed to meet their parents, smiling as they waved. Suddenly, the lobby was consumed in a cloud of fire that threw Nia and Lain back. They screamed as they felt the pain of the fire.

"AAAGH MAKE IT STOP!" Lain yelled.

"MOMMY DADDY!" Nia screamed.

The two girls clutched one another's hands as their vision began to blur. Tears fell down their eyes and the whole world went silent. The last thing they saw before they blacked out was the one eyed man standing over them. When they lost consciousness he reached into his pocket and against his better judgement he called the ambulance services. The two girls were bought into the hospital together and were treated for their burns. Throughout their treatments they screamed in both grief and agony.

"They were the only survivors?" A nurse asked.

"Yes, the police believe that it was a terrorist attack, their parents were activists for coordinator rights" The doctor explained.

"Those poor children"

"If not for that grey haired guy they probably wouldn't have survived…what did he say his name was again?"

"Sakon, he only gave a first name"

The two staff members left Lain and Nia both asleep in their rooms. A few minutes later, Sakon walked into the room. He lifted his hood up and removed his cloth patch, revealing his useless left eye. Putting a small lily into a vase beside Lain's bed, the mercenary looked at the two survivors. Though advanced medical technology would remove their brutal scars, nothing would be able to heal the trauma they had experienced.

"I know its not worth much, and I know that it wont do you any good, but know that…I'm sorry" Sakon said solemnly.

Sakon Date removed a photograph of the girl's family. It showed Amy and Tohru with their younger sons. The picture had been what he used to identify his two targets, but the children weren't supposed to be there. Flicking the photo onto Nia's bed, the mercenary walked away in shame.

Nia was shaken out of her trance by an impatient Middle Eastern teen yelling in her ear.

"OI WAKE UP!" Branden yelled.

Nia clutched her ears, cursing out loud as she pushed Branden away. Meyrin and Luna both scratched their heads sheepishly while Casvall sighed.

"So Mr Kamal what brings you here?" Luna asked.

"Killing time, plus I'll be meeting Kojiro here, he says he has a replacement for my Murasama" Branden said.

"So you'll be going back to fighting?" Meyrin asked.

"It is my Purpose"

"That's so sad"

"I don't believe in sadness" Branden said.

If Casvall could speak he would have coughed something along the lines of "bullshit". Branden had cried at Sakon's funeral and even though Casvall wasn't there he was sure Branden had cried when he first heard of Sakon's death. It had been after the battle of Orb, when Athha had destroyed himself and the mass driver. Branden had been working on his machine when a casualty report had been given.

"Did you guys hear, half of our forces got wiped out by some pilot in a one eyed mobile suit" A mechanic said.

That put a smile on Branden's face, as he knew that Sakon often piloted mobile suits with single right eyes.

"Yeah but then that pilot Cecelia killed him" A pilot said.

Branden widened his eyes and rushed towards the pilot.

"What do you mean Cecelia killed him?" Branden asked.

"Exactly what I said, that new pilot shot down the machine, what was left of it fell into the water"

At the time Branden resisted the urge to punch the pilots face in. When he got back to his room, he threw his food tray across the room.

"DAMN IT! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE LIKE THAT!" Branden yelled, smashing his fists against the walls.

Much later, Branden would learn exactly what Sakon had died for. He'd given his life to save Bright Noa and his family.

"My daughter has a younger brother now thanks to him, I wont forget what he did for me" Bright said.

He patted Branden's shoulder, leaving him at Sakon's grave. The Middle Eastern teen punched the stone, cursing as he broke his hand. Clutching his bruised hand he cursed.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it…. ha, ha…HA HA HA!" Branden laughed out loud. "You ass hole, even when you're dead you get the last word" He said.

Branden smiled at that memory, waving for Kojiro to come over. It was time for him to get his new machine.

* * *

Cagalli and Athrun sat at the dinner table, eating together as they always did. The maids and butlers knew that their relationship was more than just platonic. Of course Yuuna knew this too, he and countless others disapproved. That's when Athrun told her that he wished to go to the Plants, to see what was being done. When the shuttle was prepared, Cagalli paused as Athrun stepped up to her. He took her hand and much to her shock, slipped a ring onto her finger.

"Thi…this isn't the time to give a girl a ring" Cagalli said, blushing furiously.

"S-sorry" Athrun said nervously.

Cagalli simply smiled, typical Athrun. They shared a final kiss before saying goodbye to one another. As Athrun left, Cagalli couldn't help but drift back to the first time they had met. They met as enemies and then parted as friends. Then when they next met they mourned the loss of a friend. And after some time again they met as friends. Things "escalated" from there and they gradually grew closer. There came a time, in between Gekido's full transformation into a Cyber Psyche and the final battle of the war when Cagalli had let the doubts get to here. In the past month she had learnt that she wasn't really Athha's daughter, Kira was her brother and the realisation that she was becoming more than just friends with Athrun.

"What are you doing here sulking?"

Cagalli looked up to see Gekido standing over her. He was wearing his Cyber suit, a revolutionary flight suit that clung to his frame. The suits visor made him look like some kind of creature, although the Haro's had taken to calling him a "super hero". He even had the pose down as he looked at her.

"Well Cagalli, what are you doing?" Gekido asked.

"I'm wondering, what happens after all this, do I tell that people the truth, that I'm not an Athha, that I'm in love with a coordinator, what is my future?" Cagalli wondered.

"Your future is what you choose to make it, stop doubting yourself and start seeing the truth, who cares if Athrun's a coordinator, he's a great guy" Gekido said, practically forcing the last words out. "And adopted or not, you are Uzumi Nara Athha's daughter, that's a fact no one can deny because he had the pride of a father and despite what you say, you bared the pride of a daughter didn't you?"

"Yes, I was proud"

"Remember that pride as the Lion's daughter, because you'll need that when you lead your nation into the future" Gekido said, offering her his hand.

She gripped his hand and he lifted her onto her feet. Gekido touched her shoulder and gave her a look of respect underneath his helmet.

"Even though I said all those bad things about him, he earned my respect long before his sacrifice"

Cagalli nodded her head and took her helmet. When she flew into battle she flew with the confidence that she could win and lead her country into a brighter future.

* * *

Shinn had been jogging for what felt like hours. He didn't feel like shopping or doing anything in the town. And going to park he went to with his family would only stir up unnecessary memories. Instead he chose the beaches of Onogoro, it seemed like every place he went to made him think about two years ago. Vincent Rach had been partly responsible for the death of his parents, but the blame was more on the Earth Alliance and the Athha's. The Athha's had decided to stick to their ideals while the Alliance hadn't left Orb to its peace. They launched brutal attacks on the nation and still Uzumi Nara Athha didn't surrender.

'But Vincent Rach, if only he'd been the pilot he was now two years ago, maybe my parents and Mayu would have survived' Shinn thought.

He stopped for a moment and looked at his surroundings. Just ahead of him he saw a memorial of some kind. A young brown haired man was standing at it, paying his respects. The young man turned to face Shinn and the two looked one another in the eyes for a moment.

"What is this place?" Shinn asked.

"A memorial for all those that died at Onogoro, I've never been here myself but from what I can tell there used to be flowers here, the waves must have blown them away" The man explained.

"I guess it means they can't be fooled, no matter how beautiful the flowers are, people will just wipe them out" Shinn said bitterly.

The brown haired man raised his eyebrows in confusion and Shinn rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Sorry if I said something odd"

Shinn walked away from the site, flowers were a lot like people in war. People would be wiped away just as easily as flowers were. That was a cold reality of war. And some people knew that war was just on the horizon.

Next Chapter 15: Bared Fangs

Shani: Never thought we'd be fighting to protect those things

Orga: Hey Shani, bet you can't shoot down a row of Nukes

Yzak: Don't let any of those missiles hit

EA Pilot: ALL RIGHT BOYS LETS TAKE THOSE THINGS DOWN FOR OUR PURE BLUE WORLD!

EA Pilot: Our forces are being pushed back, wait a minute that machine….it cant be, the Nenshou Kokoro!

* * *

Gundam Liberty: Lion's Silence final preview

Multiple nuclear explosions lit the space in front of the Plant hourglasses. Zaku's and Sensou GM's flew at the fleeing EA forces. A Red Zaku flew at the front, ploughing right through enemy forces. Drawing an axe, the Zaku sliced a Dagger in half. Casvall narrowed his eyes at the fleeing enemy forces, stopping his assault as he felt a tingling in his head.

"Casvall, why don't you share in my dream?"

Natarle and Bright sat in the Asgard briefing room, carrying out a briefing via long-range communication with Flay.

"Casvall's odd behaviour is a matter of concern but right now Vincent and I want you to focus your attentions on this Zeon uprising" Flay said.

"What are the details?" Bright asked.

ZAFT Zakus flew across space, exchanging gunfire with Gaza C's and D's. Zoloats followed Chronicle Asher and Katajina Loos into battle, slicing their way through Sensou GM's. A shadowed Gundam released its funnels, firing a storm of beams that consumed the coalition mobile suits.

"Though small in numbers, the Zeon forces are all made up of people whom grew up in space, their twisted vision is that attacking the Alliance and ZAFT will somehow earn them independence in space, we also believe that this faction is connected to the abduction of several hundred colonist including citizens of Mars" Flay explained.

"What are we supposed to do?" Natarle asked.

"Fine them, stop whatever they are planning and rescue the colonists, for this mission Natarle you will receive a new crew and a new ship"

**Peacekeeper!**

"All hands go to level one battle stations" Natarle said.

The Peacekeeper folded out its collection of weapons and armaments as it and the White Base approached an Earth Alliance fleet. Bright Noa sat on his own captain's chair, giving out the order for mobile suit forces to launch. A Guncannon walked onto the pad, followed by a grey Gm custom and several different variations of the GM.

"This is Hayato, I'm heading out"

"Burning here, my GM is ready for launch"

Much to the shock of the Sensou Forces, the Earth Alliance ship they were facing was an Archangel class carrier.

**Gabriel!**

The Gabriel and the Peacekeeper weren't the only ships prepared to fight one another. Other ships flew towards the area, one with the intention of stopping the fighting.

**Radish! Argama!**

The five ships were destined to work together for a greater good.

(Gackt-Metamorphoze)

Funnels and mobile suits flew around the battlefield, shooting at the ships and cutting other mobile suits apart. Natarle grinded her teeth together as the Peacekeeper's positron cannon was blown up. A Gundam extended a pair of wires, lashing them at the Red Hyaku Shiki. Casvall pushed his mobile suit forward, grinding his sabre against his opponent's energy shield.

"Come with me Casvall, let me show you a place where humanity can finally achieve a future worth having!"

Sensou and Jupiter party mobile suits watched as the Hyaku Shiki flew into an asteroid field.

"Where is he going?" Burning asked.

"That pressure that the Gundam was giving off, I've never felt anything like it" Judau said.

"No, he wouldn't just abandon us like this" Hayato said.

"CASVALL!"

**Kamille Bidan**

"Zeta Gundam ready to launch" Kamille said.

The Zeta Gundam rammed a Gaza C head on, and then switched to mobile suit mode. It fired its beam rifle as more mobile suits began to surround it. Igniting its beam sabre, the Zeta slashed at two funnels and then switched back to wave rider mode. Flying across space, the Zeta Gundam dodged hails of beam fire and missiles fired from a meteor base. Kamille rubbed his head as he felt an immense pressure in his mind. His Newtype senses surged as his vision went white.

"AAAAGH!"

**Ergnes Brahe**

"You take our citizens and just expect me to accept this twisted vision of yours, I wont, I refuse…I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN!"

The Delta Astray slammed its sword against the Hyaku Shiki's sabres. Pushing the red machine back, the Martian pilot yelled as he continually hit Casvall's sabres. Casvall continued his defensive stance before swinging the Hyaku Shiki round and kicking the Delta across the head.

"Engage, Voiture Lumiere!" Ergnes said.

A pair of light wings suddenly shot out of the Delta's back. In a burst of speed, the Martian Gundam slashed off the Hyaku Shiki's arm. Ergnes yelled as he thrust his blade towards the Shiki's chest.

**Kou Uraki**

"I am a soldier of the Earth Alliance, if temporarily working with Sensou protects alliance interests then I'll go along with this plan…but is everyone in Sensou really willing to go against their own comrade?"

The Zephyranthes flew between Rick Dias's and Zoloats, shooting them with its rifle. Kou drew his beam sabre and extended his shield as a dark Gundam slammed its sabre against his.

"What are you willing to do against Casvall? Are you prepared to kill him?" Kou asked Natarle.

"If he is working with Zeon, if he had fallen for their plan then he has become an enemy of Sensou" Natarle said.

"And despite our personal feelings, despite what our hearts tell us, sometimes we have to perform a necessary evil, even if it breaks our hearts to do it" Bright explained.

**Mafty**

"I don't care about the Earth anymore, I don't care about my family anymore…the adults destroyed any chance we had of living in peace, the dream that Leonard is offering us is the only peace we will see in this world"

The XI Gundam's eyes flared as it blocked several missile blasts with its barrier. Mafty ruthlessly stabbed a Jegan in the chest, and then fired his Mega beam cannons, destroying an Alliance Drake class ship. He drew his beam sabres, flying straight towards its rival Gundam units.

**Gyunei Guss**

"There's that pressure again, I feel like letting go, like losing myself to that power…Leonard's vision is tempting, but I know its wrong"

(Gackt-Ai Senshi)

The Xi Gundam dodged several funnel blasts, slamming its sabres into a giant red shield. Gyunei yelled, pushing the Xi back and aiming his rifle at Mafty.

"Hathaway Noa, your lost in a dream world" Gyunei said.

The Sazabi released a red surge of New type energy while the Xi Gundam glowed a blue colour. Both New type pilots yelled, the memory of a green haired girl flashing before both their eyes.

**Amuro Ray**

"Casvall, human wisdom can help us to overcome our problems, don't lose yourself in a dream that isn't real"

"Amuro Ray, Dijeh launching!"

The Dijeh span its beam naginata round, cleaving a Gaza C in half. It fired its clay rocket launcher, destroying several Hambrabi's. Amuro slid his visor open as he yelled at Casvall.

"YOU JUST NEED TO BELIEVE IN OTHERS CASVALL!"

"If your so wise Amuro Ray then share that wisdom with the world"

"There's still hope left"

"You wont say that when you experience the dream, let me show you a better world"

**Alex Leonard, Weaver Gundam**

Slipping on his mask, the scarred man smiled as he put a hand to his head. The colonists facing him all widened their eyes as they felt someone reach into their minds. Smiles crossed their faces as they saw what Alex could offer them. Behind him rested a machine that would make their dreams come true.

"The chambers of the Dream Weaver will put those inside of it into a dream like state in which they will enter a world that fulfils their greatest desires…when I survived I was given the ability to show people what they truly wanted from life, peace is not an option so why not give those who deserve it a chance to really live their dreams"

A hatch of the meteor base opened and a white and blue Gundam flew out of the hanger. It spread its grey finger arms out, gripping a red and gold shield and a blue beam rifle. The machines gold eyes shined as its wings spread out. Its wings were a series of funnels and rockets attached to one another. Alex sat in the pilots seat, looking at a full 360-degree view of his battle.

"Let me give all of you the dreams that you DESERVE!"

As it released its Newtype energy, the Weaver Gundam also unlocked its Fin Funnels and released them on the approaching attack force.

**Casvall Athha, Lio Aznable Gundam**

"Father, Sakon, what future is there for Earth?"

A Gundam activated its phase shift armour, changing its dull grey coat to a shining red. Golden locks extended from its helmet and its eyes both glowed, the right one red and the left one green. Casvall moved the Gundam forward as its systems cycled through the weapons. Much of its design was based On a Gundam that Uzumi had built for Cagalli in Orb. The Lion of Orb had left his children two Gundam's, both to be used when needed. Now was the time for the crimson Gundam to fly and for Casvall to watch another's left side.

(Two Steps from Hell-Hearts of Courage)

Gundams clashed together and people screamed as their loved ones died around them. Casvall stood amongst the ever-changing chaos, wondering what he always asked.

"What future is there for humanity?"

Amuro walked to Sayla Mass's side, swinging her round. Both looked at one another before pressing their lips together. In his office, Bright looked at a picture of himself and his son. Falling onto his desk, he yelled at the situation he was now faced with. Judau dodged flurries of beams, frowning as two blasts slammed into his machines back. Cecily gripped Seabook's arm and cried into his shoulder.

The Delta Astray flew back to back with the Zeta Gundam, firing their beam rifles while Newtype Energy surged around them. Alex commanded his funnels to gang up on Kamille, cutting off his legs and arms while the Weaver slammed its sabre against the Delta's sword. An explosion on the Peacekeeper threw Natarle off of her seat, but she continued to yell out orders. Casvall sat inside the cockpit of his Hyaku Shiki, losing himself to a dream he constantly had.

"Father, did you die with hope for the future?" He asked.

"Not everyone embraces their deaths, fear of dying is nothing to be ashamed of, at the same time it is also all right to fear tomorrow" Uzumi said.

"Everyone…everyone is willing to die, but I'm not willing to die because I don't believe that the futures they hope for will come true"

"So what do you hope for?"

The Gundam pilots yelled and screamed as Newtype energy swirled around them. Alex screamed, his nose bleeding from the strain of his powers. Inside the Meteor Base, the dream weaver began to shine as it trapped Alex's targets. Sakon smirked as he walked past Casvall, patting his shoulder.

"If you don't think that the world has a future then make one of your own, make sure it's a good one though" He said.

"Sakon…my friend!"

"Casvall, I think I see what's so appealing in Alex's power"

"I can finally do things right in my life"

"He's giving us the kind of life we've never dreamed of having"

"My sister can be happy"

"I can be with the women I loved"

Casvall fell to his knees, crying as he contemplated the future that Alex was going to bring. He was lifted off of his feet and thrown out of his dream.

"Living in a dream world isn't a future old friend, it may have been your fathers way to cave into the inevitable but it isn't your way, get up Casvall, wake this world up WITH A ROAR!" Sakon yelled.

The Aznable stood completely still, urging the funnels to attack. Casvall smirked as the funnels fired and the beams reflected off of the red armour, flying straight back into the funnels.

"I gotta get me one of those" Judau whispered.

Kidou Senshi Gundam Liberty: Lion's Silence

In space, everyone will hear him roar!

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, Lion's silence will be up soon


	16. Bared Fangs

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam, the Winged Wolf is the property of dracomancer6491

Here it is, another shocking chapter and a tie in to the upcoming Lion's Silence. Enjoy!

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 15: Bared Fangs

ZAFT border patrols had been on the look out for activity lately, particularly near the lunar headquarters. The Plant defence forces knew it was only a matter of time before an attack was launched on the colonies. Sensou forces were also close to the area, construction of the Asgard had been completed and Salamis Kai Class ships had been sent out to patrol Plant space. Casvall sat patiently in the cockpit of his machine, a Red Zaku Phantom with a customised Vizard pack. His thoughts remained fixed on that masked pilot. He'd never interacted with Silver Mask during the previous war but judging from Lacus's recollection of the events then the man behind the mask, Jack, should be dead. Although there was a possibility of Jack having escaped Uragiri's research base before it blew up. Another possibility haunted Casvall's thoughts.

'Sakon, no body was discovered at Onogoro, but it's not your style to sneak around without telling me, and yet the way Silver Mask fought…' Casvall's thoughts were cut off as the Salamis Kai went to condition amber.

Pilots mounted their machines as the Salamis Kai Class vessels flew closer to a red and black ship. Casvall hacked one of the starboard cameras and examined the Martian vessel.

'So this is the infamous "Acidalium"' Casvall thought.

He kept his eyes on the ship as it made its way to Plant territory. Either the Mars colony was working behind the scenes or they were really looking to help the Plants. Or a third option was that they wanted something from the Plants and Sensou.

* * *

Durandal sat in his office, smiling as one of his assistants guided the mars representatives into his office. The two representatives from Mars were both as young as the Gundam pilots from the last war. Ergnes Brahe was the Captain of the Acidalium and pilot of the Delta Astray while his friend, Nahe Herschel was the pilot of the mobile armour known as the Guard shell. The two young men sat in front of Durandal's desk. Then a screen was bought forward and Flay Alster appeared on the screen.

"Chairwoman Alster, Chairman Durandal, thank you for seeing us on such short notice" Ergnes said.

"It is no problem Mr Brahe, Sensou is willing to help anyone in need of aid, preventing war is our goal after all" Flay smiled.

"And yet you couldn't prevent your own war"

"Forgive him Chairwoman, we've all been under heavy amounts of stress" Nahe said.

"Its no problem boys, I appreciate you putting your trust in us" Durandal said.

Ergnes shook his head in frustration as he got off his seat.

"The Mars Nation was formed to get away from the problems of Earth much like the Jupiter colonies, but now…our way of life has been disrupted, by an enemy with power we cant even come to fathom, a Newtype" Ergnes explained.

"Yes, Miss Alster sent me the report you gave one of her captains, that's why I've hired an expert in Newtypes" Durandal said.

Zack Tempest then walked into the office, followed by Anna and Mayura. Sitting beside the Mars pilots, Zack rubbed his hands together.

"A Newtype, your thinking he's from Jupiter aren't you?" Zack asked.

"Jupiter is still caught up in its election, they don't have the resources or the gall to attempt something like this, it's not just a military operation, it is an elaborate kidnapping plot" Nahe explained.

"Thousands of Mar citizens have been taken out from under our noses, and at the same time terrorists hit our own mobile suit factories…they took credit for the kidnappings and the attacks and have been spreading deception with propaganda and words of a beautiful new world that they will create, they are called Zeon, they are led by two men, one speaks madness while the other speaks insanity" Ergnes continued.

"What do you mean?" Flay asked.

"Gihren Zabi seeks to grant independence to the space colonies including the Plants"

"I've done research on Gihren Zabi, he was born in space and he's part of quite a large family, I'm not sure whether his other family members are backing him but I am, aware of his political power within the privately funded space colonies" Flay explained.

"When I was a doctor I once served the man, even back then he made me uneasy" Durandal said.

"Gihren Zabi, he has much hatred…whom is the other?" Zack asked.

"A man bearing a black mask and burns across his face, one whom claims to have come back from the dead in order to claim redemption and vengeance, Alex Leonard" Ergnes said.

Zack widened his eyes and got off his seat. He breathed deeply as he remembered that name. Though he had never actually met Leonard, Sumika told him of what Alex had done. Zack had also been there to comfort a young girl whose father Alex had murdered. Lily Ghingham, daughter of Sorodan Ghingham the ruler of Jupiter sat in Zack's arms. She cried onto his shoulder while Scirocco, Haman Karn and Zack's mentors spoke of Sorodan's death.

"My friend has been murdered and now you wish to tie his daughter to a target" Tiberius Fury said.

"She is Sorodan's daughter, she must lead his people in his absence" Haman said.

"No, we must find another leader" Scirocco said.

At the time, Zack left the adults to discuss Jupiter's future. Lily needed comfort, but alls Zack could give her was a shoulder to cry on. Months later, Zack went away to Earth in order to make the Beowulf company more money in the Bloody Valentine War. Further down the line, Zack had for a moment felt the hatred in the Jupiter colonies. His home had been consumed by war. Much later still, the Archangel had captured Zack and inside his cell he felt the death of another person close to him.

"Concentrate Zack" Haman Karn said.

Zack sat inside the mobile suit simulator. Again and again he failed to pass Haman's funnel exercise.

"You need to track the funnels movements, though quick you can still see them, your Newtype senses are also valuable"

"Yes Aunt Karn!" Zack said.

"And don't call me Aunty Karn" Haman said, but she couldn't help but smile.

Inside the Archangel's brig, Zack felt a faint spark of the final battle that took place in the debris belt. Scirocco and Haman had been debating with someone, someone whom Zack couldn't identify. Then came a man with deep hatred, and just as Haman began to believe in a better future her future was taken away.

"HAMAN!" Zack yelled.

He shot up out of bed as he felt the beam pierce through the cockpit of her Qubeley. Clutching his chest, he felt more and more shots hit his precious friend's machine. He felt Haman embracing her imminent end and flying her machine towards the side of a meteor. Then he felt immense sorrow, not from himself but from this unknown pilot whom had showed Haman a better way to live.

"I'm…glad…I met…a man like you…" She whispered.

"No…not like that"

She killed herself; it was later that Zack learned of Alex Leonard's hatred. He had murdered Sorodan and plunged Jupiter into civil war. Then, when Haman showed signs of choosing a peaceful solution, Alex shot her Qubeley and shattered her space helmet. At the time Zack didn't know whether Haman put herself out of her misery or whether she was punishing herself. Alls he knew was that he had lost someone important to him. And of all people, it had been a mercenary whom avenged her. Or so they thought.

"Alex Leonard is dead" Zack said.

"Are you sure?" Brahe asked.

"I…maybe, he cheated death somehow, or perhaps he did die and then was bought back by Gihren"

"It doesn't matter" Durandal said.

"Yes, Sensou has a similar case in which independent colonists have gone missing, entire settlements gone with no word from the private military companies they employed to protect them" Flay explained.

"Is Alex Leonard bad?" Anna asked.

"He killed a lot of people important to me, its true that he lost people because of mercenaries, its true that that man Sakon Date killed the woman he loved, but he killed Sorodan first and then he drove Haman Karn to kill herself, if he really is back I pray that there is someone in Sensou who can kill him for good" Zack explained.

"Zack" Mayura said, calmly touching Zack's shoulder.

He stopped squeezing his hands and looked at Mayura with a hesitant smile.

"The cases are one in the same, Gihren Zabi's Zeon faction is a danger we can not overlook, that is why I'm going to put together a Sensou strike force to track Zeon down and stop them" Flay said.

"We'll assist" Nahe said.

"ZAFT stands ready to assist as well, that's why I'll have a ships and pilots accompany you, I'm also going to transfer a young pilot Isaac Mau to your team Mr Brahe" Durandal said.

"So it's decided just like that, your going to track down someone the Jupiter government should be trying to stop?" Anna asked.

"Its not that simple Anna, Tiberius and Talon are busy repairing the Jupiter colonies" Zack said.

"Should we help?" Mayura asked.

"No, forgive me Miss Alster, Chairman Durandal but I'm afraid this is a battle I can't get involved in"

"Why not?" Ergnes asked.

The Martian pilot narrowed his eyes at the Newtype.

"If that man really is Alex Leonard, if he really is the man who killed Uncle Sorodan and Aunt Haman, then I'll lose myself to rage and I'll charge head first towards him, endangering my team mates" Zack explained.

"It's all right Zack, I'm putting together a Strike Force led by Natarle and Bright, they will save the colonists" Flay said.

Zack nodded his head, while Ergnes gruffly agreed with the plan. The young Newtype mercenary knew that his place in this war was on Earth. He knew that if did end up fighting Leonard then he would be consumed by his own hatred for the man. And win or lose the battle, Zack would come out no better than Alex.

* * *

Bhishma watched in disgust as more ships were sent up into space. It seemed that no thought had been put into this attack at all. The Alliance would send out teams of ships and mobile suits to protect a nuclear attack force. Windam's had been fitted with rocket launchers that would release the powerful world shattering warheads. The Russian officer sighed, thankful that he wasn't part of a barbarous attack on a civilian populated region. Nothing could be gained from this assault and yet that idiot of a president and Djibril were going to sacrifice men for a gain less attack.

"Commander Alhazard, we've completed an assessment of the Duel Dagger team sir" An Ensign said, saluting to the giant of a man.

"Are there any concerns?" Bhishma asked.

"None sir, the mobile suits have been fitted to your specifications"

"Good, have the pilots fitted on full uniform to prepare themselves for drills" Bhishma said.

"But sir, the pilots are on their breaks" The Ensign said.

"That's not what Dagger Thanos would say, and believe me if we end up as his enemy he wouldn't waste a seconds hesitation to attack the base at this time of the morning, so get them up, dressed and ready for target practice" Bhishma explained.

"Yes sir!"

Bhishma huffed as the ensign ran away. Pilots these days were too focused on comfort. He was going to make sure the pilots were ready for a war, even if he had to smack them awake himself.

* * *

Port Panama was a buzz with the awe and shock of Alliance staff. Jeremiah eagerly looked out of the window of his private jet. Flying alongside his jet was the mysterious Gundam Liberty.

"Incredible, it must be a distant cousin of the Archangel's Strike, with aspects of the Purpose" Jeremiah said.

Jessica smiled at her mobile suit fanatic boss. The Liberty pulled off several aerial manoeuvres, sliding across the airfield and flying up into the air. Simon sat inside the machine, wearing a grey version of the Alliance flight uniform. He pulled on his sticks, flipping the Liberty out of the clouds and sending it diving towards the ground. Straightening the sticks and the footpads, Simon landed the Liberty perfectly in front of the awed crowd. Jeremiah limped off of the jet, walking towards the crowd. They lined up and saluted him, a salute he returned in perfect military fashion. After all he had once been a pilot. His single regret as a pilot was that he never got to pilot magnificent machines like the mobile suits.

"Director Israfel" A Captain said.

"Captain, are the machines ready?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes sir, Simon Hunter is just putting his machine back into the hanger"

"Excellent, let's have a look" Jeremiah said eagerly.

Simon climbed out of the Liberty, making sure to put Magnus's electronic lock on. That way no one but he would be able to pilot the machine. He had parked his mobile suit next to several other machines. When Simon saw the Director of the Atlantic Federation he immediately stood up straight and saluted the officer. The red haired pilot beside him also took up the salute stance.

"So your Simon Hunter…it's strange you look like someone I know" Jeremiah said.

"I get that a lot sir" Simon said nervously.

"And this must be the mysterious Liberty Gundam, impressive machine, mid weight frame, compartments and slide out weapons and judging from the similar chest design it as an Arc generator doesn't it" Jeremiah explained.

"Yes sir, you know of the Arc system?"

"Minute details, I'm no expert in the theory but I have seen recordings of the barrier, energy blast and the inspiring dream system"

"I haven't used those techniques yet, I'm not even actually sure whether the Liberty can do those things" Simon said.

"Now lets take a look at these other two…I'm already familiar with the Strike E or the Strike Noir as it's also called, but I haven't seen the GAT-FJ108 Raigo up close" Jeremiah put a hand to his chin as he looked up at the machine standing next to the Strike E.

It was a Gundam model mobile suit but it lacked the signature shoulders that other Earth Alliance machines had. Once activated its phase shift armour would change into a white, blue and red design similar to the Strike's old paint job.

"I understand there hasn't been a pilot found for the Raigo yet" Jeremiah said.

"No sir, not yet that is" The Captain said.

"But the Alex…"

"I'm the test pilot sir" The red haired pilot said.

"What's your name?" Jeremiah asked.

"Christina Mackenzie sir"

"Ah, I understand you were a test pilot alongside Commander Rach" Jeremiah said.

"Yes sir"

"How well would you say you know this machine?" Jeremiah asked.

"Just as well as the people who made it sir, maybe even better"

"I see, perhaps you should be the permanent pilot then"

"But sir I've never been in a fight before"

"Neither had the pilot of the Strike, and he didn't have military training, you've piloted this machine for months no, one might even go so far as to saying your almost one with this machine" Jeremiah explained.

"Sir I really don't think I'm up for this" Christina said.

"I trust you more than a pilot who isn't familiar with the machine" Jeremiah said. "The Alex Gundam, simple looking piece of machinery, fold out machine guns and a simple beam rifle and shield, it'll be good for ground front line combat, on the ground you've got nothing more to worry about than the enemies in front and above you…its easier to fight on the ground than in the air" Jeremiah explained.

"Where will we be posted?" Simon asked.

"Tell me are you familiar with the Phantom Pain unit?"

* * *

The lunar base had launched its primary attack force and was already on its way to the Plants. Yzak sat on the bridge of his ship, waiting for the Earth Alliance to arrive. On the other side of the border of the Plants were several Thanos Musai Class ships. The Black Gundam itself stood on the Ra Calium carrier. Dagger kept his eyes on his homeland, waiting for the signal for the attack to be given. Casvall and other Sensou pilots mentally prepared themselves for the imminent attack as well. Windams and Dagger L's flew towards the Plants as the Zaku's, GINN's and Guaiz's launched. Dearka launched in his Zaku Gunner while Yzak followed in the Slash Zaku Phantom.

"Yzak Joule of the Joule team launching" Yzak said.

No one knew who fired the first shot, but after the first shot came complete chaos. War was chaos, yet war in space was like a chaotic opera. Ships fired at one another, mobile suits grappled and missiles and beams flew across space, never stopping until they hit something. Yzak fired his Gatling guns, while Dearka threw a volley of grenades. They blew apart several Strike Daggers and then fired their beam rifles at Moebius armours. An Orange Zaku Phantom flew out of a Nazca class vessel and began firing at approaching Dagger L's.

"ALL RIGHT BOYS LETS GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME FOR THE PRESERVATION OF OUR BLUE AND PURE WORLD!" An EA pilot yelled.

The words bought disgust to the Sensou pilot's faces. A requirement for Sensou pilots was to never utter those words with intent. There was just one Sensou pilot with anti coordinator ideals.

"AAAATCHOO!" Branden yelled.

"Is there something wrong Branden?" Kojiro asked.

"No, I must be allergic to something here" Branden said.

"Unlikely, your reaction would be much more severe if you…oh that is humour isn't it?"

"Yes Kojiro, its humorous" Branden growled.

Back in space, the battle between ZAFT and the EA had kicked off. Yzak drew his tomahawk and slashed a Windam in half. Dearka then fired his cannon, destroying two Dagger L's. Dagger moved his troops out, bringing his forces into ZAFT airspace. He fired his beam rifle, signalling for the Musai's to fire barrages of beams into the Alliance fleet.

"Enemies incoming to our right, keep pushing through the enemies in front" An Earth Alliance officer said.

"Captain, heat sources approaching from our left, its Sensou" An Ensign said.

GM Snipers stood on top of Salamis Class ships, firing their rifles at Windam teams. GM's and Guncannon's launched out of the ships.

"They've boxed us in, keep pushing forward, release some of the nukes if you have to" A captain said.

"Heat sources approaching us, the lead machine is approaching us at an accelerated rate, wait…HE'S HERE!"

Casvall slammed his Red Zaku's foot into a drake class bridge. He looked coldly at the enemy forces before opening the sections of his Vizard pack. Barrages of missiles flew out of the pack, destroying mobile armours and mobile suits alike. The Black Gundam flew between several EA carriers. Dagger lifted a hyper bazooka onto his shoulder and fired several shells into the sides of the ships. Zaku Kai's then fired their own weaponry, hitting the mobile suits and smaller ships defending the heavy carriers. Lain fired her bazooka, hitting a Strike Dagger in the chest.

"I wont let any of you attack my home, none of you will get close" She said as she drew her beam axe.

She yelled as she flew towards a team of Windam's. Cutting one across the chest, she then swung her axe at another. But the Windam drew its beam sabre, blocking the axe. Lain grinded her axe against the Windam's sabre, trying to push the beam into the Windam's head. The Windam threw Lain back, but she managed to recover in midair. She then threw her axe, splitting the Windam's head open. Blocking several shots with her shield, Lain then fired her bazooka; destroying two Dagger L's attacking her.

"NOT ONE OF YOU!" She screamed.

"Lain calm down" A voice said behind her.

The Dreadnought H raised its cannons and shot two Alliance mobile armours. Then Canard switched the cannons to sword mode and cleaved three Daggers' in half with one swing.

"Canard" Lain said.

"We need to focus on the missile teams, but their defence forces wont make it easy for us" Canard explained.

Drawing his submachine gun, Canard fired a barrage of beam bullets into an Earth Alliance carrier. Lain drew her rifle and fired several shots into the Strike Daggers defending the carrier. The Black Gundam threw its bazooka aside and drew its beam sabre. Several smaller mobile armours flew beside him. But much to Yzak's shock, the mobile armours linked together, forming a Zaku. Other parts linked themselves together, revealing three Zaku Splendors flying beside Admiral Thanos. They drew their swords and dived towards an Earth Alliance Nelson Class carrier. The four mobile suits dragged their blades across every side of the ship, cutting it into four pieces.

"Damn, this is the power of Dagger Thanos?" A GINN pilot asked.

"Sir, Windam Nuke teams are approaching the Plants"

Yzak turned his head, widening his eyes as Duel and Buster Daggers shot a path through his defence forces. Shiho fired her Zaku's bema rifle, widening her eyes as a Duel Dagger cut her shoulder. Windam's flew past the mobile suits and gradually got closer and closer towards the Plants.

"Admiral Thanos there's no Neutron Stampeder defending the Plants, I repeat there is no Neutron Stampeder" A Zaku Kai pilot said.

"What? What is Durandal thinking?" Dagger asked. "ALL FORCES PURSUE AND DESTROY THE NUCLEAR MISSILE TEAMS!"

A Salamis Kai Class carrier began launching mobile suits. The Mass Calamity and Forbidden Darkness flew side by side.

"Never thought we'd be defending this place" Shani said.

"Shut up and shoot those things down Shani" Orga said.

The Two Gundams fired their beam cannons, destroying a line of Windam's. Inside the Salamis Kai Class ship, the Brave Flag was being prepped for launch alongside a unique Gundam. The Gundam had the standard face, but the helmet was shaped like a wolfs head. It had crimson wings and black armour.

"Winged Wolf, stay on me as we flank the Dagger defence teams" Graham said.

The two mobile suits flew out of the ship, dashing around Daggers and shooting them down with beam rifles. The Winged Wolf fired its beam shotgun, blasting two Daggers apart.

"Shit they're getting through" Orga said.

"NO!" Lain yelled.

The ZAFT pilots on Earth watched the battle at a pub in Orb. Branden and Kojiro were beside them, watching the scene in shock. Vincent took a break from prepping his mobile suit and narrowed his eyes at the Windam's approaching the Plants.

"Why televise the battle?" He wondered.

Jeremiah crossed his arms and closed his eyes as the Windam's fired their nukes. Kira and Lacus widened their eyes as they watched the missiles fly towards the hourglasses. Suddenly, several crimson beams flew into the missiles, shooting them out of space. The ZAFT and EA pilots stopped as they watched several funnels fly across every inch of the battlefield, shooting down nuclear missiles fired by the Windam's. A smirk crossed Durandal's face as he imagined the discussions taking place inside the Plants. The camera portraying the battle zoomed in on an image.

"Impossible" Branden said.

"Is that what I think it is?" Flay asked.

Vincent frowned at the image while at the Earth Alliance base; Jeremiah pressed his head against the TV screen.

"The armour is a little different and the weapons have been heavily modified but that's definitely…"

"Definitely what Sir, we can't see it" Jessica said.

Jeremiah stepped away from the screen and the people watching widened their eyes in astonishment. Standing in front of the Plants was a Gundam, bearing grey and red armour. Its face had the standard V-fin, but also fins sticking out of the back and top of the helmet. Two red slits were glowing on a black crystal shape on the Gundam's head, replacing the standard eyes and mouth of most Gundams. Athrun noted that the Gundam's shoulders were similar to his old Justice. It carried a beam rifle and had a solid sword attached to its left shoulder. On its right shoulder was a beam cannon and a Hyper Bazooka, facing downwards to be taken off for battle, and potentially to also be used as extra thrusters.

"Its, even more beautiful than the last one, especially that pack" Jeremiah said.

A red crystal glowed on the Gundam's chest and as a change over its previous model it had three horns on its wrist armour. The Gundam had a flight pack and much to the astonishment of the EA pilots, the Fin Funnels it had been controlling folded and attached to the pack, becoming six wings.

"It is…get our mobile suit team out of there now, that's the Nenshou Kokoro" Jeremiah said.

"The Nenshou Kokoro" Lain whispered.

"Drive them back, destroy the Earth forces" Dagger said.

"Is that really the Nenshou Kokoro?" Dearka asked.

Yzak tried to make contact with the Gundam as it flew towards the Windam team. But his attempts to establish a communications link were cut. Sensou and ZAFT ships were given the machines profile and ordered to flag it as a friendly.

"Sho Nenshou Kokoro" Yzak and Graham read.

The Sho Nenshou's eyes shined brightly as it dived towards the Earth Alliance forces. Splitting its Fin funnels off, the Nenshou began firing its Vulcan's and beam rifle. Bullets and beams pierced through the cockpits of Windams while the funnels shot at Dagger L's and mobile armours around the battlefield. Overcoming their initial shock, the allied forces began their counter attack. Dagger sliced a Duel Dagger in half and passed the Nenshou. For a moment it was as if Dagger was trying to look the pilot in the eye. Inside his office, Durandal smiled at Zack Tempest and Ergnes Brahe's reactions.

"Sho Nenshou Kokoro, the Shine Burning Heart, its far more powerful than the original Nenshou Kokoro" Durandal said.

"Is that…it couldn't be…who is the pilot?" Zack asked.

Alls he could sense was rage, not enough to identify anyone. Durandal simply remained silent and turned to the screen. The Nenshou drew a red beam sabre and sliced a Long Dagger in half. It then flew around beam blast and intercepted missiles with blast from its funnels. Linking the funnels back to the pack, the Nenshou drew its beam cannon. Swinging the cannon around, the Nenshou's crystal shined as it fired its beam cannon. The magnificent orange beam tore through the cockpit of a Nelson Class ship and consumed two Daggers before slamming into an Agamemnon class carrier. A cylinder clip detached from the cannon and the Nenshou slid another clip into the barrel.

"It's the Nightmare of the Earth Alliance, we can't defeat it" A Dagger pilot said.

"He's a relic of the past age, an animal that we can put down" The pilot of a Duel Dagger said.

He threw aside his rifle and drew a beam sabre. Flying head first towards the Nenshou, the pilot yelled as he swung his sabre downwards. Suddenly, the Nenshou dashed to the left, and then slashed the Dagger in half. The pilot screamed as the crimson beam ripped him and his machine apart. Turning towards the Earth Alliance forces, the Nenshou aimed its cannon at its targets.

"That mobile suit, we can't beat it" A Mobile armour pilot said.

"We're surrounded, everyone signal the retreat" The Captain of an Earth Alliance ship said.

Dagger slashed a Drake class carrier open, watching as its crew was swept off into space. Earth Alliance ships began their retreat, but the Nenshou kept pushing forward with ZAFT and Sensou forced behind it. Casvall fired his beam rifle, shooting a carrier apart. Yzak and his forces stayed behind to protect the Plants, and watch the carnage that the Nenshou committed.

"Chairman tell me, is that Gekido Jaeger in the machine?" Zack asked.

"He will reveal himself to the public in a few days time, you can stay to watch if you'd like" Durandal said.

As the Nenshou fired its cannon again, Lacus herself fainted.

"LACUS!" Haro screamed.

Silver Mask stood in the Minerva's rec room with Rey. His glowing eye narrowed at the Nenshou Kokoro.

"Did you know anything about this?" He asked Rey.

The blonde pilot merely shook his head. Silver Mask kept his gaze fixed on the screen while the other Minerva crewmembers cheered the Gundam on. Disarming its cannon, the Nenshou drew another beam sabre and dived towards a group of retreating Dagger L's. They fired their beam rifles, but the Gundam dashed in between the shots. With incredible speed and merciless strength the Nenshou cut each Dagger in half. Then it stabbed both sabres into a Windam's chest. Oil spread across the Gundam's armour, giving it a bloody look.

"This is the raw strength and aggression of the Nenshou Kokoro?" Ergnes asked.

"All forces, begin your retreat" Dagger said.

"But sir, we have the enemy forces on the run" Lain said.

"There's no need for us to completely wipe our enemy out, leave that to ZAFT…where is Canard?" Dagger asked.

Lain looked to her right and saw that Canard's Gundam was gone. She widened her eyes as the Dreadnought H flew towards the rampaging Nenshou.

"Talk to me, tell who you are" Canard said.

Getting in the Nenshou's way, Canard spread his arms out and slid his helmet open. The Nenshou sheathed its sabres and pulled its fist back. Canard braced himself as the Nenshou slammed its fist against the Dreadnought's head.

"Well he certainly hits like Gekido"

The Dreadnought was sent rolling back as Duel and Buster Daggers began to surround the Nenshou. Djibril smiled as the mobile suits surrounded the Gundam. Canard pulled his Gundam up and aimed his submachine gun at the surrounding mobile suits. Yzak and Dearka flew to the Nenshou's side, both of them keeping their eyes on the Gundam and the enemy mobile suits.

"There's definitely someone in there?" Anna asked.

"Yes, a pilot is controlling that machine" Zack said.

Vincent looked at the machine and compared it to videos of the last Nenshou. Then he went through footage of the Purpose. The fighting styles matched. Nenshou flew forward, kicking a Dagger across the head. Yzak yelled as he swung his Tomahawk around, beheading several Windams. Casvall released a volley of missiles, destroying the rifles of several Duel Daggers. Dearka then fired his cannon, splitting several Buster Daggers in half. Flying forward, Canard punched a Windam back and then began madly firing his submachine gun. He span around, hitting the Daggers around him. Mass Calamity and Forbidden Darkness then dived towards the battle. The Winged Wolf drew two beam sabres and slashed several Windams apart. Then it spread its arms out, opening a hatch on its chest. Dagger L's fired their beam rifles, but much to the pilots astonishment the beams flew straight into the Winged Wolf's generator.

The Gundam's eyes then shined brighter before firing its beam rifle. Orga yelled, firing his cannons and blowing several mobile suits apart. Shani fired his own cannon, curving the beam around to slash five Daggers apart. The Nenshou tore a Duel Dagger's cannon off, and then smashed the machine across the head with its own weapon. Splitting off its funnels, the Nenshou then took a spike off of its wrist. Igniting the beam blade, the Nenshou threw the beam dagger into the chest of a Buster Dagger. Earth Alliance pilots began to scream as Sensou and ZAFT mobile suits shot them apart. Shani cleaved a mobile armour in half with his scythe, and Orga mercilessly shot a helpless battleship. The Winged Wolf joined up with Casvall and an orange Zaku and began firing shots into a Nelson Class carrier's hanger. Vincent watched the scene in disgust before dialling a number into his long-range satellite phone. Bringing Kuzzey's face up on screen, Vincent began to relay orders.

Canard slashed a Duel Dagger apart as the Nenshou threw another beam dagger. The dagger pierced through the cockpit of a mobile armour. Jeremiah began calling Earth Alliance HQ, keeping his eyes on the battle monitor. He watched as the Nenshou slammed its shoulder into the side of a Drake Class cruiser. It used its funnels to shoot out the battleships thrusters and any mobile armours protecting it. Earth Alliance crews screamed as the Drake Class carrier got closer and closer to an Agamemnon class cruiser. Casvall noticed what the Gundam was doing and flew to its side. He slammed his own shoulder against the ship, helping the Gundam to push the ship towards one of its own allies.

"Oh my god" Lain muttered.

"Canard, make your way back to us" Dagger said.

"Is it right…is fighting like that right?" Lain asked.

"It doesn't matter, in the end during a war where everyone has a gun no one is truly right, Canard make your back to us now"

Canard watched in shock as the Nenshou and the Zaku pushed the Drake into the Agamemnon. In the Plants, Anna put her hands to her head while Zack grinded his teeth together. They could both feel the immense emotions resonating from the ships and the two machines pushing them towards one another. Kira looked at the scene in pure shock and further from the hut, Andy and John dropped their cups.

"This is Captain First Class Kuzzey Buskirk, I am relaying direct orders from Grand Commander Rach, all Sensou and ZAFT forces are to cease their attack on the retreating Earth forces Immediately" Kuzzey explained.

"For God's sake Djibril, get our people out of there" Jeremiah said before slamming the phone down.

Simon squeezed his hands into fists while Christina kept her hands on her mouth. Shinn kept on a neutral expression while Branden conveyed complete disgust over the battle.

"Casvall what are you doing?" Cagalli and Branden wondered.

'They all have to be destroyed' Casvall thought.

The two ships slammed together, both going up in a blazing explosion. Casvall flew his Zaku away from the explosion, coldly looking at the crashed ships. The Nenshou flew through the explosion, watching the retreating forces as its funnels docked with its pack. Lain took off her helmet inside the Ra Calium, wiping sweat off of her face and hair.

"Oh my god, is that really Gekido Jaeger?" She asked.

"Perhaps it is, perhaps he came back and saw what a mess the world became and it only deepened his anger" Dagger said.

Canard threw his helmet to the ground, grinding his teeth together. He pulled his fist back and slammed it against the Dreadnought's leg.

"DAMN IT!" He yelled.

A girl wearing and old Earth Alliance uniform soon floated into the hanger. She tilted her glasses and looked at Canard in concern.

"Meriol Pistis" Dagger said.

"Admiral Thanos, is Canard…"

"Take my advice, leave him alone for now"

Dagger walked away while Canard continued to hit the Dreadnought's leg. At Earth Alliance HQ, Simon looked towards his Gundam.

"If it isn't Gekido then I wont stand for this insult on the Nenshou's image, and if it is Gekido then for what he's done I have no choice but to kill him" Simon explained.

* * *

In Orb, Vincent zipped up his flight suit and looked at the repeated images that had been relayed by the major news networks. They adored the appearance of the Sho Nenshou Kokoro. Tasha walked out of her changing room and looked at her commander.

"Your angry aren't you?" She asked.

"Durandal didn't tell me about this, he probably won't tell me about it until it suits him" Vincent said.

"Vincent…" Tasha said, planting her hand on Vincent's shoulder.

Vincent brushed her hand off and looked at her with a serious expression.

"Get in the G-Wing, if things get tough I'll need the Burning Components" He said.

Tasha looked up at her commander's new machine. The Rezel was a primarily blue armoured machine, with some grey parts legs, chest and arms. Its visor was a green colour and the machines backpack enabled it to fly in midair in both mobile suit mode and wave rider mode. Vincent put on his helmet and climbed up the ladder towards the machines cockpit.

"What should I have the men tell Branden and Kojiro?" Tasha asked.

"That I've gone out for a test drive!"

The Rezel was moved to the launch catapult as the seaside hanger opened. Vincent slid his faceplate down as he prepped the machine for launch.

"Vincent Rach, Rezel launching!"

Next Chapter 16: A fathers spell

* * *

Next Chapter we see Athrun meet with Durandal, the reveal of Meer and the astonishing reveal of the Sho Nenshou Kokoro's pilot. Plus Vincent meets some friends outside of Orb's borders.


	17. A Father's spell

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Here we have the big reveal (not Silver Mask ;) and a tie in to Lion's Silence, enjoy!

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 16: A Fathers spell

Space had been filled with explosions lately. Athrun had been quite astonished by the amount of mobile suit wrecks he saw floating around the Plants. Right now the amount of dead Earth Alliance suits outnumbered the ZAFT suits. Yzak kept his eyes fixed on the Sho Nenshou Kokoro. It hadn't been part of the official defence line up, and Yzak suspected that the Chairman deliberately left the details out. Whatever Durandal was planning Yzak had no doubt that it would increase morale by hundreds. Ergnes Brahe had the Acidalium follow the Sensou fleet back to the Asgard. ZAFT ships then went on their usual patrol routes. The Nenshou however, kept flying around the Plants. It was as if the Gundam was looking inside the hourglasses, watching over the citizens of the Plants. Athrun's shuttle docked with the capital colony and the young man awaited the Chairman's aides.

* * *

Tasha had her eyes fixed on her commander as he carried out his test flight. Over the past hour nothing had been said between the two of them. Instead, Vincent merely flew. Occasionally he would test the transformation capabilities of the suit. The Rezel's designs had been loosely based off of the Neo Raptors. Although once Vincent had fully tested the Rezel, once it went into mass productions there would be considerable differences from the Neo Raptors. For one the Rezel was slightly bigger than the Raptors, which were designed more with speed in mind. Neo Raptor's also employed the incredible Graviton Reactor system developed by Jupiter's Beowulf mercenary band, which was a secret financial backer for Sensou. The Rezel abandoned the use of Graviton Reactors in favour of simple rechargeable generators that would be easier to maintain and affordable. While the Neo Raptor was a lighter blue and employed the use of a small wrist shield, the Rezel had no shield and had darker shades of blue on its armour.

"Commander Rach, I thought I should tell you, the Earth Alliance discreetly declared war on the Plants before they launched their attack" Natarle explained over the radio.

"Strange actually, I read that back in the Twenty first century, the major governments knew where a group of terrorists were, or at least suspected…yet they refused to nuke the place to dust" Vincent said.

"It's easier to nuke a colony than a place on Earth"

"Maybe, but they should have tried other methods"

"Commander, permission to speak freely"

"Granted Captain, speak your mind"

"You mustn't let the past weight you down, this isn't an age of cautious men rather an age in which many opinions can be put on a table, a large majority of people wish to have revenge against the people whom killed their loved ones and it will take more than speeches to change their minds" Natarle explained.

"I know, if my parents had been taken away from me I…" Vincent paused as saw Shinn flashing before his eyes "I would never forgive the person who took them from me" He said.

"I'll be preparing the ships that will be taking part in the Mars colonists rescue missions, good luck in the coming months Commander" Natarle said.

"Good luck to you too Captain, dismissed" Vincent said.

Vincent cut the line and turned his concentration back to the sky. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the light reflecting off of an object ahead. Switching on his radio he conveyed his message over the open frequency.

"This is the Grand Commander of the Sensou Forces Vincent Rach, I am engaging in a test flight, open your frequency and I will exchange my authorization codes with you" Vincent explained.

He widened his eyes as he saw what was approaching. Two were mounted on flight units while the other two were flying under their own power. One was a Strike E, or Strike Noir because of its dark armour and flight pack. Vincent focused on the other two machines, both resembling two of the units that were stolen at Heliopolis. The Blue Duel and Verde Buster were both upgraded versions of the Duel and Buster. But they weren't the machines that had Vincent worried. It was the Gundam leading them.

"The Mercy!" Vincent growled.

Jone wore a Phantom Pain flight suit with pale blue colours on its chest. He sighed as he targeted the Rezel. A sabre popped out of the Mercy's shoulder, igniting as it was pulled out of its sheath. Vincent transformed his unit, flipping it over the Mercy. The Strike Noir raised its beam pistols, firing quick beam rounds at the Rezel. Vincent pulled his sticks to the right, sending the Rezel rolling to the side. He pressed some of the holographic buttons, equipping the Rezel's beam rifle. Then he fired a few warning shots to back the Gundams off.

"Vincent Rach, never thought we'd be fighting a real war hero" The pilot of the Verde Buster said.

"Careful Shams, you'll mist your glasses up" Said the female pilot of the Blue Duel.

"Oh yeah like you weren't crushing on him until you found out he liked Coordinators Mudie"

Mudie Holcroft merely pouted while Shams Couza laughed. Their leader, the calm and isolated Sven Cal Bayang merely kept his gazed fixed on the Rezel. Sven fired his pistols again, forcing Vincent to perform manoeuvres in midair.

"I didn't want this, I would have preferred to fight you alone" Jone said as he flew behind the Rezel.

He swung his sabre horizontally, but the Rezel flew upwards, narrowly missing the blade. Swinging in midair, the Rezel fired several beams at the Mercy. Jone easily dodged the shots, sheathing his sabre and shooting out his heat rods. Vincent kept his eyes on the glowing red blades, knowing they were one of the Mercy's deadliest weapons. Swinging the weapons like chains, Jone narrowly missed the Rezel's head. Vincent tilted the mobile suit back, just avoiding the swing of the Mercy's heat rods. He aimed his rifle, pointing it directly at the Mercy. Suddenly, the Blue Duel and the Verde Buster opened fire. Vincent flew his machine sideways, dodging a volley of beams and missiles.

"You people are with the Earth Alliance, have you declared war on us too?" Vincent asked.

Sven dived towards the Rezel, firing his shorty beam pistols. Vincent flew upwards, dodging the beams and flying past the Strike Noir. The Rezel fired its beam rifle, narrowly missing the Verde Buster.

"This guys a surprisingly good marksman" Shams said sarcastically. "Time for me to show him how it's done"

Two rifles disconnected from the Buster's waist. Shams linked the two guns together, forming a bigger double-barrelled beam rifle. He aimed the Hulking weapon at the jet like mobile suit. Multiple beams slammed into the Verde Buster's cannon, knocking Shams off balance. The G-wing dashed around the Gundam's, launching missiles and beams. Tasha targeted the Blue Duel, firing a missile towards the Gundam. Mudie turned her machine round, smirking as she drew a Stiletto armour penetrator. The G-wings missile suddenly split open, launching a storm of fragmentation grenades. Mudie crossed her arms together, blocking her chest area from the explosive rounds.

"Bitch" Mudie growled.

She threw the Stiletto, but the rocket-propelled kunai couldn't catch up with the quick mobile armour. Tasha flew the G wing into the air, spinning it around as she released several bombs. The bombs fell down on top of the Gundams. Vincent then fired two shots from his beam rifle, hitting the Strike Noir's pistols. Sven threw the useless handles aside and drew his beam swords.

"Keep on attacking the Rezel, our mission is to keep Vincent Rach from returning to Orb" Sven said.

* * *

Athrun walked into the chairman's office, bowing to the man as he walked away from his desk.

"Alex, it's good to see you again" Durandal said.

"Chairman, I had heard earlier about what had happened, I'm glad the Plants were left standing" Athrun said.

"Yes, the attack came as a surprise to me, but thankfully our soldiers managed to defend our home, please take a suit, what did you come here to talk about?" Durandal asked.

"I came to find out what you are willing to do in order to defend the Plants, what ZAFT's path in this coming war will be and how you will choose to lead your people" Athrun explained, sitting in front of the Chairman.

Durandal kept on a calm gaze while Athrun squeezed his hands together. He could tell that the young man was conflicted over not just ZAFT's path but his own path as well. This was a day that would call for heroes, Durandal was already aware of Jeremiah Israfel's plans to paint Simon Hunter as a hero. He also knew of the tremendous charisma Dagger Thanos held. That was why the Plants needed all the heroes it could get.

* * *

The Sho Nenshou Kokoro was clearly showing off. That was what Zack felt as he watched the Gundam from his ship, the Raven's nest. Time and time again he tried to reach the pilot with his Newtype abilities. But every time he tried he was thrown back. Zack decided to find out for himself who the pilot was once and for all. He mounted his Wild Raptor and launched out of the ship. Mayura and Anna watched with concern as the Raptor flew around the Nenshou.

"Hey, whoever you are you certainly cant be Gekido Jaeger, he may have been a thug but he didn't try to completely wipe out his enemy as you've done" Zack explained.

Stopping in its tracks, the Nenshou disconnected its funnel wings. It then opened the palm of its hand at the Raptor. Zack raised his eyebrows at the machines actions and suddenly clutched his head. He felt a wave of killing intent, a force that would have paralysed younger Newtype's. But Zack was made of sterner stuff, and was able to fight off the wave.

"You want to fight, let's fight" Zack growled.

He flew at the Nenshou, aiming a kick for its head. The Nenshou dashed around the Raptor, planting its hand on the blue machines shoulder. Zack widened his eyes before swinging around. He threw a punch at the Gundam. But the machine ducked underneath the punch.

"Who are you? Are you someone else whose come back from the dead?" Zack asked. "Silver Mask, Alex Leonard and you…if you are Gekido Jaeger then that makes life unfair…why do people like you have to come back when there are far better people that deserve second chances" Zack explained.

He kicked at the Gundam, which continually moved from side to side. Zack yelled as he threw a fist towards the Nenshou. But the machine quickly grabbed the Raptors wrist and flipped the mobile suit over its shoulder.

"Lily's dad, Aunt Karn, Sarah and Reccoa, Mayura's friends and Sumika and my parents, WHY CANT PEOPLE LIKE THEM CHEAT DEATH THE WAY YOU HAVE!" Zack yelled.

The Nenshou suddenly flew forward, punching the Neo Raptor Square in the face. Zack's main camera cracked and he felt the machine throw itself back from the force of the punch. He slammed his hand into his console and followed the Nenshou as it flew towards the ZAFT capital. Zack could feel the intense emotions running throughout the Plants, they were all angry.

"How dare the Alliance just turn to nukes, what is our government doing about it?" A civilian asked.

"They destroyed Junius Seven, they're the ones who created that wreck"

Zack clutched his head for a moment as he felt another feeling. Casvall's face flashed before his eyes and Zack knew that the mute pilot was showing no mercy towards the Alliance forces still in the area. The Nenshou flew into the colony hanger and Zack quickly followed. Once the doors were safely closed, Zack jumped out of the cockpit of his machine. He floated towards the Nenshou as it began to open its cockpit. Suddenly, his radio chimed and he turned his attention away from the Nenshou.

"Mayura what's wrong?" Zack asked.

"It's Anna, she cried out and now she's fallen unconscious" Mayura said.

"Damn it, its Casvall, he's shown the Earth forces no mercy, I knew I should have ordered you guys to leave the area" Zack said.

Zack turned around and threw his head back with a yell. The Nenshou's cockpit had been opened, but the pilot had quickly floated past Zack when he had been talking to Mayura.

* * *

The Rezel flew backwards; dodging sword swings from the Strike Noir. Jone swung his heat rods at Vincent, but the Commander was able to flip his suit back. He fired his Vulcan's, narrowly missing the Mercy.

"His targeting skills are worse than I thought they'd be" Jone said.

Tasha turned the G-Wing round, firing her beam cannon into the Duel's shield. Mudie fired her beam pistols, missing the G-Wing's nose by inches. Tapping her touch screen, Tasha bought up the G-Wing's special features. Pulling the trigger on her control stick, Tasha released a trail of red smoke from the G-Wing's tail binder. The smoke spread across the Duel's armour and Tasha flew around the Buster, spreading the smoke onto Shams's armour.

"What the hell is this?" Shams wondered.

In space, Sensou sniper GM's slid their faceplates down as they aimed their rifles.

"All right boys, there's Tasha's usual signal, commence firing" Nick said.

His GM Custom led the snipers, launching a barrage of beam bullets. They had specifically been equipped with orbital sniper rifles in order to launch bombings on highlighted targets. Shams and Mudie widened their eyes as the beams rained down on their mobile suits. Mudie jumped off of her flight platform as a beam cut straight through it. Shams flew around the beams as best he could, but Nick again fired his orbital rifle, sending a beam flying straight into Shams flight platform.

"SHIT!" Shams yelled as he jumped off the platform.

Vincent held out his rifle, using it to block one of the Noir's swords. But the Mercy flew behind the Rezel, whipping it with its electrical rods. Vincent yelled as electricity flowed into the cockpit. But he managed to fight the pain long enough to push the noir back. Then he fired his rifle, hitting the Mercy's shoulder.

"Commander, I'll give you the Burning components" Tasha said.

"No, just fly back and tell Branden and Kojiro the plan" Vincent said.

"They already know the plan, I'm staying to help you"

"Tasha I'm giving you a direct order"

"I'm Black ops remember, I don't exist so you can't punish me for insubordination"

Jone closed his eyes as he wrapped his coils around the Rezel. Vincent widened his eyes before yelling out in agony. Electricity flowed through the machine and its pilot's veins. Jone rubbed his forehead in frustration while Vincent continued to yell out in agony.

"I hate this" Jone said.

"COMMANDER!" Tasha yelled.

* * *

Flay sat at her desk, reading over the latest reports from the battlefield. Not even five minutes in the Asgard and she was raided with reports and transfer requests from Casvall's unit. The mute pilot had been going all out in the battles, using methods that had shocked his Sensou comrades. It had been frustration for Flay, not only because Casvall used to be calm and reliable but also because he was Cagalli's adoptive brother. He was the true son of Uzumi Nara Athha, but a soldier through and through. Sensou didn't have much information on him, but he had been a valuable pilot during the first war. The door to Flay's office opened and Flay sighed as Natarle walked into the room.

"Chairwoman you wanted to see me?" Natarle asked.

"Yes captain, it's to discuss your new mission" Flay said.

"In contrast to Captain Noa, I am comfortable with the changes to my crew" Natarle said.

"That's not it…I want you to take Casvall"

"Ma'am, I don't understand"

"Casvall…I'm afraid of him losing himself to whatever anger he's feeling, no one knows what he's thinking about or whether he even believes in Sensou"

"With all due respect Ma'am you are talking as if he is a threat" Natarle said calmly.

"I know almost everything there is to know about every member of Sensou apart from Casvall, his past is a mystery, his goals, his dreams even are mysteries…how often have you seen him smile? How often has he even tried to laugh? I'm afraid Natarle, he's the best pilot in Sensou hands down and well deserving of his red colours but I'm afraid…that if he fights in this war, if he's turned against Orb then he'll become a monster worse than Rau Le Creuscet" The Chairwoman explained, wiping her eyes, her hands shaking from the stress.

Natarle looked at the girl, she had seen her like this before. The stress of battle and constant concern for Kira had driven Flay to tears once, and Natarle had been the only person on the ship she served on that could support her. In the final battle of the war, Flay was constantly worried about Kira and Natarle had no doubt that she was counting down the seconds they were apart. Natarle had personally thanked Vincent for saving their escape shuttle. She didn't want to die knowing that Flay would never hold the man she loved again. Now Flay was concerned over the fate of her best friend's brother.

"Chairwoman Alster, I accept this mission you have given me" Natarle said. "I will keep Casvall away from the main conflict and put him to work in helping to find the missing colonists"

Flay wiped a tear from her eye and chuckled. Natarle was still acting professional. Not many people liked that, but Flay saw it as a quality.

"Thank you Natarle" Flay said.

"It's no problem Chairwoman"

* * *

"What's the big problem Graham?" Branden asked.

"Natarle and I work well together, now she's being given a new crew a new ship and what have I got, a stint in the Black Ops" Graham groaned.

Kojiro and Branden were both sitting at a café, communicating with Graham via wireless laptop communication. The Flag fighter was complaining about his new assignment as well as the situation on the Asgard. Kojiro was indifferent to it, while Branden shared some of Graham's concerns.

"Captain Noa and Badgiruel have been given command of crewmen they aren't familiar with, a large majority of the support crew are green and haven't seen actual combat, the most experienced mobile suit pilots are Lieutenant Burning and Lieutenant Major Ray" Graham explained.

"Burning's a nice guy, although he's a bit too old school military, that Amuro guy…I don't like him" Branden said.

"That's a surprise"

"Hey, he's a pretty boy preacher, used to be an angst ridden teenager who just happened to be good with mobile suits"

"And a few years later he's now one of our top aces" Kojiro said.

"Maybe, but he's got nothing on Casvall" Branden said.

"I wouldn't tempt fate if I were you, for all we know Casvall may turn on us, if that's the case I would say that Amuro Ray's the best pilot to have in case that happens"

"Don't tell me your thinking that Casvall's too dangerous to keep around, what is wrong with you idiots?" Branden asked.

"I've worked with Casvall before when I was full time Orb military, he was a skilled pilot but a mystery…I've read that if a man keeps too many secrets they are bound to catch up with him, Casvall is a man with secrets, such as what crime has he committed to earn him time in prison and how does he become Sakon Date's best friend, perhaps you should be asking those questions as well Branden" Kojiro explained.

Branden grinded his teeth together and shook his cup.

"You know lad he brings up a good point" Graham said.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Branden snapped.

Across Orb, Cagalli knelt at her father's memorial. Kojiro had told her of the situation regarding Casvall. Not only did she have the pressure of Yuuna's proposals but also her concerns over her brother's sanity. Cagalli couldn't explain why but she had a feeling that Casvall was experiencing doubts as she did. But for a man whom had spent time in prison and on the battlefield, witnessing the worst of humanity then Cagalli could only assume that Casvall was doubting humanities future.

"Oh Cagalli, you're here"

Cagalli felt like groaning, but kept it in check as she turned to face Yuuna. The nobleman walked towards the memorial bowing his head solemnly.

"I have said that your father should probably be given a bigger memorial, after all he was a wise and powerful leader before the war, it's too bad that the Earth Alliance trapped him in a corner" Yuuna said.

"What did you want Yuuna?" Cagalli asked.

"I wanted to see how you were doing, after all you're so young, I imagine that the responsibilities you're faced with seem too much, I only wish to help both you and our nation"

"Accepting an alliance with the Atlantic federation stands against every ideal Orb has stood for" Cagalli said as they walked down the steps of the memorial.

"And yet if you don't it is inevitable that Orb will become a target of the Earth Alliance, I thought it was made abundantly clear in the last war that Orb is a nation of Earth and thus must stand with the alliance, I know that you are concerned for our coordinator population but know Cagalli that Earth Alliance policies on coordinators have changed, men like Israfel and Jaeger are slowly changing the Alliance" Yuuna explained.

"Gekido is dead!"

"True, but I was actually talking about his brothers" Yuuna said.

Cagalli stopped and looked Yuuna in the eyes.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"You see Cagalli, we have to side with the Alliance, because if we don't we'll have the anger of the Jaeger family" Yuuna said, opening the door for his car.

Cagalli's hand shook as she stepped into Yuuna's limo. Over at the docks, Joe and some of the rookie pilots watched the news reports of the events. Luna and even Nia were in awe at the sight of the Nenshou. Joe crossed his arms and huffed.

"I had hoped that if Gekido Jaeger was alive then he would have returned to the Earth Alliance, that way he and I could have fought, I would have been able to prove that Coordinators can work hard as well" Joe explained.

"But this is great right? I mean what if he really is Gekido Jaeger, even records were sealed a lot of people talked about him" Luna said.

"He's good for morale, but he's a liability as part of a team" Rey said.

"He got along well with the Archangel crew"

Silver Mask leant against the wall on the far side of the cafeteria. He kept his eyes on the TV, waiting for the news to be dropped. At Earth Alliance headquarters, Heiwa sat in his office, waiting for his interview to begin.

"Brother, the press are ready for you" Nina said.

"Just wait Nina, I think I'd rather drop my bomb after Durandal's dropped his" Heiwa said.

* * *

Athrun had asked Durandal how he was going to respond to the Earth Alliance attacks. They both knew that outside, civilians were already debating with one another. Some said they didn't want another war, others said that they needed to defend themselves. And unfortunately, some called for revenge.

"If we retaliate for their attack on us then the world will once again sink into the quagmire of war" Durandal said.

As Athrun listened to the man he remembered Junius Seven and the first ZAFT mobile suits launched onto the Earth. Even his own battles flashed before his eyes.

"Of that I have no doubt, needless to say I wish to avoid that at all costs, but there is no denying how grave the situation is, if they knew the full details then the people would rage in anger, they want vengeance…so how should we proceed? The clock is counting down just as it did in the previous war, but how can we bring the process to a halt the fact is Alex that this isn't the first time they launched nukes" Durandal explained.

Right now, revenge had become the number one reason that the civilians wanted to go to war. Talking and negotiation was out of the option for them now. The pilot of the Nenshou tapped his foot against the elevator floor impatiently. His escorts looked at him with a mix of awe and fear.

"Mr Chairman, I know what your saying, but please reconsider" Athrun said. "Fighting is not the answer, we can't let anger and hatred control us, if we attack one another now then we will be caught in a conflict in which nothing will be gained, and everything will be lost, please you cant let that happen"

"Alex…"

"My name is Athrun Zala, the son of Patrick Zala a man whom fanned the flames of a war that spiralled out of control and poisoned the whole world with his hatred, I believed what my father said and fought, I killed the enemy, fought my best friend and even realised how wrong we were I couldn't stop him, I couldn't save him" Athrun explained.

He remembered everything, the times he piloted the Aegis, killing Kira's friend Tolle. His fights with the Purpose and Gekido Jaeger and Nichol's brutal murder stuck out as the feelings of that day came to the surface. The gunshot echoed in his ears and his father's floating body flashed before his eyes.

"And yet, even in death my father's words still linger"

He couldn't hear the Chairman calling his name.

"We must never repeat that tragedy, not ever again"

_"I think the real question that needs to be asked is do you feel justified fighting on the side of cowards who attack soldiers that cant even fight back and then toying with an enemy by critically damaging his mobile suit? DO YOU FEEL JUSTIFIED FIGHTING BY THE SIDE OF THESE COWARDS!" He yelled hitting Athrun with the truth in his words._

_"ALL OF YOU STOP FIGHTING NOW!" Gekido yelled desperately._

_"GEKIDO STOP! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU OR ATHRUN!" Kira yelled._

_Gekido paid no attention as he roared; he lifted the Strike's cracked blade on top of the Strike's shoulder._

_"ATHRUN!" Nichol yelled over the radio._

_The Blitz suddenly appeared, holding one of its Triskeros as a make shift spear. Nichol thrust the weapon towards the Strike. But the Strike ducked under the thrust and tackled the Blitz to the ground. Athrun watched in desperation as the Strike stabbed its sword into the Blitz's hand, pinning it to the ground. Gekido yelled as he stabbed the Blitz with the Strike's knives. Miguel looked towards the Strike and this gave Mu enough time to blow the DINN's arm off._

_"Shit, Nichol!" Miguel said as he flew towards the area._

_Kira and the rest of the Archangel crew watched in horror as the Strike continued to drill its knife into the Blitz's belly. Nichol cursed, as his controls didn't respond. A smile spread across the face of Akushi, it was almost as if he could sense the battle or see its outcome, and he enjoyed it. Zack aimed his rifle but hesitated, in fear of hitting Nichol._

_"GEKIDO JAEGER!" he yelled, "This beast isn't you Jaeger, it isn't you" Zack said._

_"Gekido please stop he's done his phase shift is down" Kira said._

_"STOP IT!" Flay screamed._

_The Strike broke through the Blitz's cockpit and the imposing machine looked down at the pilot inside._

_"Gekido stop this, look at the pilot, look at him…he's not supposed to be here" Miguel said on the radio. "He's 15, his names Nichol Amalfi and he likes to play the piano, he should be performing in concerts and he can still do that, do you really want to take the life of an opponent who cant defend himself?" Miguel asked._

_Gekido growled, as the Strike seemed to back away._

_"KILLLLL…ALLLL…KILL…ALLL…KILLL…ALL!" He roared with hesitation._

_Kira and Miguel relaxed as the Strike baked away and lowered its knife. Zack smiled to himself, knowing that Gekido had made the right choice. In the Plants there was a moment of peace for Lacus before her eyes widened and she looked at the sky._

_"Kill all COORDINATORS!" Gekido yelled._

_The Strike raised its blade and slammed it into the hole on the Blitz. Nichol's line went dead and the ZAFT pilots widened their eyes in shock. A tear fell down Miguel's cheek while Athrun out right cried. The Strike raised its knife and Kira gasped in utter shock, for it was covered in what only a man like Akushi would describe._

_"NICHOL!" Athrun screamed._

"Athrun!" Durandal said.

Athrun snapped out of his remembrance and looked at Durandal as the man got off his chair.

"I know what the criminals at Junius Seven said, Shinn told me, to hear that must have been difficult for you" Durandal said.

"No…it's better that I know the truth, otherwise I would be blind to the truth again"

"That's not true Athrun, you can't blame yourself for what has happened, its sad that the memory of you father pains you, that it is a source of great bitterness for you, but I suppose it cant be helped, and yet Chairman Zala was not always like that was he?" Durandal asked.

"No, he wasn't" Athrun said.

"And yet I have no doubt that even with the mistakes he made his goal was always to protect the Plants and his people"

"With all due respect Chairman…that wasn't the case, yes from the very beginning he wasn't so full of hate, but when my mother was killed and as the war got worse and worse he fell deeper and deeper into madness, he wanted revenge more than he wanted the Plants protected, and now his will still lives on" Athrun explained.

"Don't be so hard on your father Athrun, sometimes great men can be led astray by the intensity of their visions, and often their statements can be used by others, listeners with an agenda will often use the words of great men out of context, twisting them to suit themselves, much like those terrorists at Junius Seven"

Athrun turned to Durandal in shock.

"They said "we're doing the right thing" why is that? "Because Chairman Zala said so himself", keep that in mind, you mustn't let something like that control your emotions…you were you Athrun, the terrorists were the terrorists and the Chairman was the Chairman, it doesn't matter whose son you are, you cant let this drag you down because it has nothing to do with who you are" Durandal explained.

"Chairman…" Athrun paused, getting off his chair.

Here was a man whom understood the world and people perhaps better than they understood themselves. In a way, he reminded Athrun of Gekido Jaeger. Both believed in the power individuals had to forge their own Destiny.

"You are an individual and you came here because you just wanted to help, you just want to stop war from spreading, keep that in mind, your not responsible for all of this, I'm glad you came up here Athrun…it is people like you who will save the world" Durandal said solemnly. "Some people might call me a dreamer but I very much believe it to be true"

The citizens of the Plants were ready to start riots. But their attention was drawn to the giant screens throughout the cities. They widened their eyes as they saw a familiar face.

"Please my friends stay calm"

Athrun looked at the chairman's screen in shock, something shared by many. The details of the report had been sent to the Earth media companies as well. And yet the details of "Lacus Clyne's" speech were left out. But the citizens of the Plants stopped to listen to a woman they felt was their true leader. On the Minerva, Silver Mask huffed, knowing that it was a ploy. Branden and Kojiro watched the scene from a television screen in their hanger.

"This is some kind of joke right?" Branden asked.

"Don't underestimate Lacus Clyne's abilities to lead" Kojiro said.

"Yes it is I Lacus Clyne, I understand why your all angry, I share your concerns…they declare war on us and attack us with nuclear weapons but please let reason carry the day, losing yourself to anger will only lead to more conflict, even as I speak the Chairman and the supreme council are doing everything within their power to solve this situation but please I beg of you, each and everyone of you please show that you believe in peace and have faith in Chairman Durandal and the supreme council" "Lacus" explained to the people of the Plants.

Athrun looked at the scene, unsure of how to react.

"You can laugh if you want to" Durandal said. "I'm sure you know what's going on"

The melody of Lacus's signature song began to play and she san the lyrics perfectly. Zack looked at the scene with a mix of shock while Mayura calmed Anna down. If he were closer to the Plants he would try to determine whether this woman really was Lacus Clyne. His Newtype senses didn't tell him anything, but his instincts said otherwise. Outside of the Plant border, Dagger Thanos and his pilots watched the scene from the bridge. Dagger sat lazily in his chair, while his long time comrades stood beside him. Michelle had suffered from severe burns during the last war, but after surgery her face was as good as knew. Cairo was his usual self, and he was equally as shocked as Lain was.

"Lacus Clyne, so she returns to lead the Plants, maybe with her influence ZAFT will improve" Lain said, offering Cairo a piece of garlic bread.

Cairo ate the bread, looking at the scene curiously. He then turned to Dagger.

"What do you think Commander?" He asked.

Michelle covered her nose, gagging slightly while Thanos remained indifferent. Lain was a good cook, but she would put way too much garlic on her food. Combine that with Cairo's big mouth and the whole bridge would be clutching their noses.

"It's not Lacus Clyne" Dagger said.

His crew looked at him in shock.

"She's good, convincing but if you really pay attention, if you remember what Lacus Clyne was like in the first war then you would know, she'd never read off a script"

"Of course, this woman is reading from a script" Cairo said.

Her words took away the anger people felt and many began to rethink what they said. When she had finished singing, they were all willing to follow Durandal. On Earth, Simon launched in the Liberty. It had been equipped with blue flight pack, an Earth Alliance shield and a beam rifle. He flew, unbeknownst to the revelation that was about to take place across the world. People on Earth and the Plants were faced with another image. In contrast to "Lacus's" peaceful atmosphere, a more professional background was chosen for the Sho Nenshou Kokoro pilot. He wore a grey ZAFT pilot suit; the visor he wore was a pure black colour.

"Time to find out the truth" Kojiro said.

Branden nodded his head, zipping up his Earth Alliance flight suit. Kojiro had an old version of the Orb flight suit. Lacus leant forward on her seat as John and Andy put their coffee mugs on the table. People across the Earth and the Plants looked at the full video of this pilot. Flay turned away from the launch of the Peacekeeper mission, checking her own TV. Casvall, Natarle and Bright would be in for quite a shock when they got back.

"People of the Plants, war may be inevitable no matter what the Chairman does, if that is the case…" The pilot began as he began to remove his helmet.

Lacus widened her eyes in utter horror.

"You've got to be joking!" Branden growled.

The Minerva pilots widened their eyes and then turned to Silver Mask. He was laughing, genuinely laughing.

"Clever man Durandal!" Silver Mask said.

Lacus's hands quivered as she touched her mouth. Kira caught her as she fell and the children gathered around them.

"It can't be" John muttered.

He dropped his helmet, revealing his wild grey hair and blue eyes.

"IF that is the case, then know people of the Plants that I, Gekido Jaeger swear to protect you with my life!"

Athrun looked at the scene, the pilot wasn't reading from a script, his method of talking was similar. His voice and face identical, his formerly missing eye was back, no doubt replaced by a cloned and surgically implanted replacement.

"If war is what the Earth Alliance wants then know that I'll be ready to fight them" Gekido said.

Zack rubbed his head, fighting the headache he suddenly got. This feeling he had, there was no doubt in his mind over the identity of this pilot. The screen split apart, revealing Heiwa. It was as if the two men were standing apart from one another.

"People of Earth, I know it is hard for you to consider this, Gekido Jaeger has indeed joined the ranks of those whom shelter terrorists, though I despise our use of nuclear weapons I can not stand by any longer, if the Plants attack I will defend my home…know that that man there whom massacred our troops, our fathers, our son…our brother's, know that he is Gekido Jaeger" Heiwa explained.

Gekido and Heiwa both smirked as he delivered yet another revelation.

"I would know, I would know without a doubt…because my real name is Heiwa Jaeger, the twin brother of Gekido Jaeger!"

Next Chapter 11: Chosen Path's, proof of existence

Cagalli: We can't join the Earth Alliance; it will destroy everything our country stands for

Yuuna: Yet we must protect our country no matter what

Athrun: Who are you?

Gekido: I am myself and I have chosen of my own will to be here, what will you choose to do?

Tasha: I'm black ops…I don't exist

Mudie: The only good coordinator is a dead coordinator DIE!

Vincent: Stop talking like that Tasha, you live…you exist!

Tania: Are we going to have to fight big brother?

Heiwa: Yes, I'm sorry all of you, but I'm afraid Gekido isn't part of the family anymore

Tasha: VINCENT!

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I'll be getting Lion's Silence up soon, review and tell me what you thought please


	18. Chosen Paths

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 17: Chosen Path's, proof of existence

**I am Tasha Sanada, I am Black Ops, and the life of a soldier is the only life I have ever known. The first thing my Blue Cosmos handlers told me was that I no longer exist. That was a philosophy that carried on into the Black Ops section of Sensou.**

The Forbidden's eyes flashed as it raised its scythe, cleaving two GINN Wasp types in half. Orga targeted a group of DINN's and fired his Mass Calamity's cannons, hitting each DINN dead centre in the chest. A Black and White Gundam raised its scythe, igniting a beam blade. It swung the scythe round, slashing two GINN's in half. The G-Wing mobile armour fired its beam cannons, shooting down two DINN's.

"All Gundam units, move away from the island" Tasha said emotionlessly.

The Gundam units began flying away from the island as the G-Wing launched its collection of napalm bombs. It covered the whole region in flames, completely annihilating the pirate base.

"How ruthless of you Sanada" Orga said.

"Well we weren't all that different you know" Shani said.

Tasha showed no emotion as she dropped the final bomb. Her job was to kill, to annihilate threats to Sensou. No one could know she existed, absolutely no one.

* * *

Vincent had experienced pain before, but the power of a Plasma Field was agony. The electric cables used by the Mercy Gundam utilised Plasma Fields to deliver electricity right into a machines cockpit. Tasha looked at the ReZel in shock as the Strike Noir approached it. Suddenly, Jone threw the ReZel aside, away from Strike Noir's swords.

"What are you doing Extended?" Mudie asked.

"Sorry, my finger slipped" Jone said.

Tasha dived towards the Strike Noir, firing her beam cannons rapidly. The beams flew at the Noir, but Sven easily managed to dodge them. He returned fire with his CIWS and Tasha quickly flew upwards. She let loose one of her bombs, hitting the Verde Buster's head. Shams fired his missiles and watched in amazement as the G-Wing manoeuvred around each and every one. Vincent switched his Rezel to wave rider mode and fired both his CIWS and beam rifle. The bullets and beams slammed against the side of the Mercy. But Jone quickly swung his heat rods round, singeing the Rezel's wings.

"Impressive flying, but not good enough" Jone said, drawing his beam sabre.

Suddenly, Tasha flew at the Mercy, igniting a beam blade on the G-Wing's nose cone. She sliced off the Mercy's fingers, sending its beam sabre falling to the water. Then she released the G-Wing's flares, hitting the Mercy in the face and scrambling its main camera.

"Truly impressive" Jone laughed.

Tasha flew to her commander's side, ready to watch his back no matter what. In her mind he had to be protected no matter what.

* * *

Shinn and his fellow pilots looked at the TV Screen in shock before it shut down. Gekido Jaeger, the most savage pilot in the Earth Alliance military was now part of ZAFT. Likewise Gekido's former comrades were shocked by the news, but particularly shocked by the revelation of him having a brother.

"That's impossible, he said so himself that he was created by Uragiri" Andy said.

John put a hand to his chin and looked to Lacus. He remembered that Simon had actually been recovered from an Uragiri facility; one that Kyusai/Akushi Thanos gave his life to destroy.

"Maybe Gekido wasn't the only one whom escaped Uragiri's control" John suggested.

"It may have been possible that there were other facilities that produced Cyber Psyche's like Gekido" Kira said.

"Possible yes, Uragiri was a smart woman"

Lacus rubbed her eyes, wondering whether Gekido had joined ZAFT to change it from within, like he tried to do with the Earth Alliance. Whatever Gekido was planning, Lacus had no intention of letting him face it alone. Likewise, former members of Gekido's makeshift alliance looked at the revelation with mixed reactions.

"So Gekido's now an enemy" Bhishma said to himself.

Canard Pars slammed his fist against the wall, angered by the turn of events. His crew weren't willing to get in his way, especially over a matter this sensitive. Dagger Thanos kept on re-watching the footage, leaning his chin on his hand.

"What are we going to do about this?" Lain asked.

"Nothing, nothing yet" Dagger said.

"He and your son were good friends once right?"

"No!"

The man's words shocked Lain; she was often confused over the complex relationship between Dagger and his adopted son. She knew that Dagger had loved his son at least in his own way, even though she had never seen him shed tears over Akushi's death.

"They understood one another at least, but they never had the chance to renew any kind of friendship" Dagger explained.

Lain nodded her head, leaning on her chair. She was covering the communication officer's shift. It was also a time she would take to get advice from the admiral. Calling him by the rank was difficult; often people still called him Commander. But many of the soldiers under Thanos's command were glad that he had gone his own way, instead of becoming an admiral in ZAFT. They said this because they knew that as an admiral of ZAFT Thanos would be away from the battlefield and would be unable to make a true difference.

A difference, that was something Vincent always wanted to make. He had been faced with great responsibility as the leader of Sensou, a responsibility he never had as a common soldier. Yet still he was inside the cockpit of a mobile suit, because that was where Gekido told him to stay no matter what.

"_Be in charge of Sensou but above all don't sit behind a desk, don't assign advisors don't do anything that'll keep you away from the cockpit of your mobile suit because inside that suit, out on that battlefield is where you'll make the most difference"_

They were words that Vincent held onto, especially in the midst of battle. This was where he needed to be.

This was where she needed to be, inside the cockpit of the G-Wing, by her Commander's side. She needed to protect him, he was Sensou, and his life was all that mattered. Tasha fired a volley of missiles at the Strike Noir. But Sven shot the missiles down with his CIWS. He then fired the cannons on his shoulders, clipping the G-Wing's side. Tasha yelled, firing both her cannons. Sven moved away just in time, flying around the G-Wing. Vincent ignited the beam bayonet on his rifle, slamming it into Sven's swords.

**I exist only to serve Sensou. I am Black ops my existence is meaningless. War is the only life I have ever known. Once I was a Black Ops agent of Blue Cosmos, but I saw the battles of Gekido Jaeger and the crew of the Archangel.**

Years ago, the Nenshou Kokoro released its fin funnels, shooting several GINN's down. The Freedom armed all of its guns, shooting out all the weapons of the enemy mobile suits. Athrun Zala ignited his beam sabres, cutting down Kratos mobile suits, and then shooting at several Blue Cosmos mobile suits. One of them, a Strike Dagger managed to block the beams and swung its beam sabre at the Justice. Suddenly, the Nenshou blocked the strike with its shield.

"Why are you fighting like this, we're putting an end to a threat?" Tasha asked.

"NO, your going to kill millions, those people didn't ask for war, they yelled for death but they didn't commit murder themselves, likewise the people of Earth don't deserve destruction either, if you say your fighting for a blue and pure world then you'd better be ready for people to disagree with your reason" Gekido explained.

"That's not why I'm fighting, I'm following orders" Tasha said.

"THIS IS THE TIME WHERE YOU CAN MAKE A CHOICE!" Gekido yelled.

He sliced off the Dagger's arms, and then kicked its head off.

"Find a reason to exist, find something better to dedicate your life to, BE HAPPY I STILL LET YOU HAVE A LIFE!"

**His words echoed through my mind as the battle of Jachin Due waged on. I saw destruction beyond anything I thought humanity was capable of. But even in the midst of all the carnage and insanity, even when all hope was lost I managed to find a miracle.**

_"All you naturals mark this moment well, let this light usher in the creation of the coordinators world! NOW FIRE!" Patrick Zala yelled._

_Gekido widened his eyes as the array on Genesis began to glow. He had read what Genesis would do on the information that Kyusai had given him, and Genesis was aimed at the Earth Alliance forces. Without hesitation, Gekido flew in the path of the weapon._

_"ETERNAL! ALL OF YOU HARD TO PORT! GET OUT GENESIS'S FIRING RANGE!" Gekido yelled._

_Genesis fired, releasing the nuclear energy, flickering through space. The Nenshou launched its funnels, which all combined beams to create an arc barrier. But the beam from genesis pierced through the shield, consuming the Nenshou. The Eternal was barely able to make it out; the Earth Alliance machines weren't as lucky._

_"NO!" Gekido yelled as cracks appeared on his and the Nenshou's armour._

_His bazooka blew up, and then half of the Gundam's face shattered. The Right side of Gekido's helmet shattered as well, and Gekido didn't waste a moment. He grabbed the roll of tape used to seal cuts on space suits and tied it around the right side of his head._ _Gekido closed his eye, seeing through the eye of the Gundam. Behind, Earth Alliances ships were being blown apart._

_"NO! I WONT LET THAT HAPPEN!" Gekido roared, spreading his arms out._

_The Nenshou spread its arms out, its armour taking on an incredible gold shine._

_"STOP!" Gekido yelled, using the shields on his funnels again._

_Patrick Zala widened his eyes, as did every other soldier on the battlefield as they turned to the Nenshou Kokoro. Its thrusters gave of a fiery effect that flew through space, overcoming the nuclear blast from Genesis. Lacus got off her chair, smiling as the Arc energy cancelled out the nuclear energy. Suddenly, the Nenshou's legs and lower chest blew up._

_"GEKIDO!" Lacus, Canard and Cagalli yelled._

_The smoke cleared and yet again every soldier on the battlefield was shocked. Gekido was alive, hanging out of the Nenshou, cables connecting him and machine together. He looked towards Genesis, glaring at it before looking to the Uragiri forces._

**Gekido Jaeger saved so many lives, not just on the battlefield but at the lunar base as well. He never gave up; he never stopped fighting for what he believed in. I realised that I needed to rethink my life, for so long I had been killing for petty reasons. So I decided to join Sensou, and thus as time went by I eventually became leader of the Black Ops division. And even in Sensou, an organisation dedicated to war I still saw a show of emotion from a man whom I thought cold.**

Sensou aircraft landed in the village in Bosnia. Most of the soldiers were shocked at the destruction and death around them, but for Tasha it was nothing new. However the sight of her commander shocked her slumped over a body. He stared at his blood stained hands, tears falling from his face.

"Commander Rach" Tasha said.

"Damn it, damn it…why couldn't they…AAAAAGH!"

Tasha hesitantly wrapped her arms around Vincent and began cradling him as he cried.

**He committed an atrocity, but he still cried. I loved him for that and in time we both came to love one another. But our duty was to Sensou, and so our relationship didn't work. Yet still I fight for Sensou, I fight for him.**

Vincent and Tasha lay together in bed, sharing a soft kiss. Tasha smiled at the memory before shooting the Mercy in the shoulder. Vincent then threw his rifle like a javelin, impaling the Mercy's hand. The Rezel drew its beam sabre, slicing off the Mercy's arm. Jone laughed as he flew backwards.

"Just as I expected from you" He said.

The Rezel got closer and closer towards the Mercy, beheading the machine with one final swing of his sword. Jone laughed again, increasing his speed. Beams suddenly began flying at the Rezel from one of the nearby islands. Vincent flew around, dodging the storm of beams. He fired his Vulcan's, trying to hit the Duel and the Buster from above. Shams fired his cannons and launched a volley of missiles, hitting the Rezel in the shoulder and pushing it backwards.

"Vincent" Tasha said in concern.

**Vincent Rach is one of the greatest men I have ever known. He made the hard chooses that needed to be made. But he didn't lose himself to blood lust or become cold and bitter. And yet he still has great pain within his heart. I tried to repair him, to take his mind away from the pain. But I wasn't enough, is there anyone out there capable of easing my Captain's pain.**

**

* * *

**

Athrun found himself looking up in astonishment at the new machine. Durandal had taken him to a small hanger and had shown him a new mobile suit, a Gundam type machine.

"The ZGMF-X23S Saviour, it was produced at the same time as the Armoury One mobile suits, what would you say if I gave this machine to you?" Durandal asked.

"Gave it to me?"

"Yes, as you are aware war is already raging across space, Dagger Thanos has released his men into the Earth's atmosphere and is beginning to establish footholds and gather his own list of allies, despite Sensou allying itself with us I believe that ZAFT will need as many pilots as it can get, especially on the Minerva" Durandal explained.

As Durandal spoke with Athrun, the explosions and gunshots of war echoed through space. On the far border of ZAFT territory, in the space where privately funded colonies were established, a search had already begun. Natarle led a small strike force, which had already met with fierce resistance. Casvall flew inside his new machine, the Hyaku Shiki, shooting down several Gaza C mobile suits. A Blue Zaku like mobile suit known as a Dijeh span its double-edged beam sabre round, slicing apart several missiles. Its pilot then drew his bazooka, shooting several of the invading mobile suits down. On the Earth Alliance Lunar base, automated turrets fired streams of missiles and beams at the Virtue Gundam.

"Target locked, disengaging GN Field, activating Hyber Burst!" Tieria said.

He raised his GN bazooka and fired an incredible pink beam at the lunar base. The beam struck one of the supply depots, blowing up the base's collection of spare missiles. Gunfire picked off members of the Lunar base defence force. Dagger L's were left to defend themselves against a barrage of bullets. The gunfire came from two Gundams. One of the Dagger L's got a look at the Leopard and Heavyarms before a missile flew into its head. The Leopard launched a volley of missiles and the Heavyarms opened its chest, firing its Gatling guns.

"WE NEED IMMEDIATE REINFORCEMENTS AAAAGH!" A dagger pilot screamed.

The bulky Gundam Physalis flew across space, cutting down Strike Daggers with its beam sabre. Anavel Gato raised his shield, blocking a hail of gunfire. A Slaughter Dagger flew at the Gundam, armed with an IWSP weapon pack. It fired its guns and drew its swords, using the gunfire to cover its sword attacks. However several Neo Raptors fired their beam cannons, destroying the Slaughter Dagger before it could attack the Physalis. The Neo Raptors flew across the battlefield, shooting down Windams and Daggers. One of the Neo Raptors transformed to mobile suit mode, while the Jegan's mounted on the other two Raptors jumped off. The three mobile suits drew their beam sabres and hacked at the side of an Earth Alliance ship.

"Already casualties are beginning to mount high, beyond the figures of the first way" Durandal said, lowering his head in regret.

On Earth, the CGUE Sword cleaved an Insurgent GINN in half. Then the red machine turned to two more approaching GINN's. They all had their swords drawn, causing the pilot to smile somewhat at their bravado. He folded out his rail guns and fired two blasts that impaled the GINN's cockpits. At the front of another Thanos battle, Rhondo Mina Sahaku fired her Triskeros missiles into a Mercenary type Astray, bringing the machine to the ground. Under the water, submariner type mobile suits were engaged in a hectic battle. Wasp type GINN's fired their torpedoes at numerous Mono-eye type mobile suits. A brown mobile suit with a head that seemed to be part of the body fired its torpedo missiles. The Thanos faction Acguy was a premier underwater type mobile suit. Its partner unit the Zock had green armour and beam cannons and claws that cut through navy ships. A grey armoured Z'Gok E popped out of the water, using its massive claws to crush a Windam unfortunate enough to fly low.

"If possible I hope to end this conflict quickly, if at all possible" Durandal said.

"Chairman" Athrun said.

"That is something your former comrades, even Gekido Jaeger himself wishes"

"That man, is he really Gekido Jaeger, not just some other person you convinced to perform?" Athrun asked.

Durandal laughed at that comment.

"There aren't many people whom could successfully mimic Gekido Jaeger, not many within the civilian community and that was where I found "Lacus" you can learn more once you meet her yourself, as for Gekido and his reasons you'd have to ask him, he wanted to help and I gave him the opportunity to do so" Durandal explained.

"By giving him a suit like this?"

"No, Gekido came to me with his suit"

"You mean he had that thing built in secret?"

"Yes, that would be one explanation as to where he's been all this time"

"But your offering me this machine?" Athrun asked.

"Yes, the opportunity to use your skills, the choice is yours Athrun, make whichever choice that you feel is right" Durandal said.

Athrun looked up at the saviour, thinking of what more he could do. He left the hanger and returned to his hotel room. When he got there he found a most shocking sight. His eyes widened as the perky Lacus impressionist waved towards him.

"ATHRUN!" She yelled in delight.

She certainly played the part of a lovesick fiancé well. Athrun often wondered why he didn't make his break up with Lacus public. Oh wait because it was none of the publics business! "Lacus" wrapped her arms around Athrun, knocking him off balance slightly. The girl bought her face away from Athrun's giving him a sly wink.

"I'm Meer, but call me Lacus when we're in public okay" She whispered. "Athrun I've missed you so much"

Athrun was at a loss for words; in fact he was so lost that he couldn't do anything to reject Meer's invitation to a private dinner. They sat awkwardly in Meer's room, eating dinner. Meer's eyebrow twitched wasn't Athrun going to at least strike up a conversation. Athrun himself however was thinking about something Durandal had said. When something bared a false name, was that object fake? And now here Durandal was using a girl he swept off the streets and changed into a fake Lacus.

"So Athrun what did you think of my performance?" Meer asked.

"It…well huh…it was certainly convincing" Athrun forced out.

"Was I just like Lacus?"

"If you want some advice try to improvise, the real Clyne didn't read off of a script"

Meer looked at the man standing at the doorway with bewilderment. Athrun however was shocked, standing before him was Gekido Jaeger alive and well.

"Wait a minute how did you get in here?" Meer asked.

"Airhead, through the door of course" Gekido said.

"There were two guards out there"

"The benefits of working Lacus Clyne is health insurance, I'm sure it covers mild concussions"

"And the locked door"

"Benefit of being Lacus Clyne is the money to pay for a new door"

Athrun practically dropped his jaw. Casual to a fault, no disregard for public property, violent when he didn't get his way and with remarkable tact, this man had to be Gekido Jaeger. Gekido stepped into the room, he wore the standard Commander's uniform of ZAFT, but he had the top button undone, revealing a grey turtleneck shirt underneath.

"Welcome home Athrun, cant say I'll be heading back to Orb or the lab anytime soon" Gekido said.

"Who are you really?" Athrun asked.

"Gekido Jaeger, I am myself Athrun and I have chosen of my own will to be here, what will you choose to do?" Gekido asked.

"After the battle of Jachin Due Lacus and the others shed tears for you, they thought you were dead, where have you been all this time?"

"Can't say and I don't particularly want to say, it's a long story and you've got better things to do, like visiting Nichol, Rusty and Akushi's graves"

"Miguel's too" Athrun said.

"Of course can't forget him, why did you come here Athrun?" Gekido asked.

"I came…because I couldn't figure out what to do in Orb, no there's actually nothing I can do there"

"Cagalli must be having a field day keeping the politicians in line…unless she's lost that spirit I remember her having, tell me Athrun has she changed, is she as capable a leader as her father?"

"You should have been there to find out" Athrun said bitterly as he walked towards the door.

"So you've accepted it then?"

"I've accepted that you look like Gekido Jaeger, that you sound and act like him…Gekido was a lot of things, but he wasn't the kind of man who abandoned his friends" Athrun explained.

"Time changes all Athrun, I wonder how much it changed Cagalli"

* * *

In Orb, the situation was already beginning to grow worse. A fleet of Earth Alliance navy ships had gathered outside of Orb. On a hilltop, General Sin smiled for everything was going according to plan. Activity on board the Minerva was hectic to say the least. Nia swore at some of the mechanics as they dropped parts for her Zaku. At the Orb Parliament building, Cagalli was arguing tirelessly with her advisors and critics.

"We can't join the Earth alliance, it would destroy everything our country stands for, we dedicated ourselves to following a path of neutrality, at the very least we can do that" Cagalli explained.

"Inspiring speech Cagalli but that doesn't change the fact that right now the Earth Alliance is giving us a reasonable offer, an offer we can't refuse, if we do then war will face this country yet again, there are no room for ideals in politics, it breaks my heart to do it yet we must protect our country no matter what" Yuuna said, his allies on the committee agreeing with his speech.

Cagalli lowered her head and grinded her teeth in frustration. Back and fourth Yuuna was challenging her authority. The other nobles and political advisors agreed with him, but in the end the decision was hers. Her father's ideals had to be preserved, especially since Casvall didn't wish to. But the people of Orb also needed to be protected. Cagalli kept on thinking about what Shinn had said to her, about the people who died because Orb held onto his ideals. Then she thought of Vincent and Kojiro, how the lesser of two evils would save lives. The hall was clear and Cagalli was left alone with Yuuna.

"I am sorry that this is happening so fast Cagalli, both you and I are Naturals and Orb will ally with the Atlantic Federation, at any rate its impossible for you and your coordinator boyfriend to stay together" Yuuna explained.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Cagalli asked.

"You're both from totally different worlds, but don't despair, I'll be ready to support you and our country"

"What are you talking about Yuuna?"

"Our marriage of course, to show that Orb is willing to join the alliance you must marry me, thus turning over control of the country to the most experienced of us, me"

If Cagalli were anywhere else she would have thrown up at the very idea. But there was a disturbing truth to Yuuna's proposal; he did have more experience that Cagalli. Meanwhile on the Minerva, Meyrin blinked in confusion as she received a message.

"Captain Gladys, I have someone on the radio whom wishes to speak with you" Meyrin said.

"Put it on speaker phone" Talia said.

"Hmmm…is this thing on, oh hello Captain Gladys I'll keep this brief, get the hell out Orb" A voice said abruptly.

Arthur was taken back by the robotic and fierce tone to the voice. Talia could tell that the man was using a synthesizer to alter his voice so as not to be identified. Meyrin however couldn't determine where the signal had come from. Andy and John both blinked in confusion, they had intended on warning the Minerva but now they had a complete stranger talking to the ship.

"Who is this?" Talia asked.

"It's not important, my point still stands, Orb is under increased pressure from the Alliance, either they'll join the Atlantic Federation or they'll enforce their neutrality policy, either way you'll have to leave Orb as fast as you can" The voice explained.

"Captain what should we do?" Arthur asked.

"We should follow his advice" Silver Mask said at the doorway.

Talia put a hand to her chin, considering the option before nodding her head. People would look down on ZAFT if they led a country like Orb to war. At the Sensou Hanger, Kojiro read a report sent to him by Sheryl.

"Sheryl and her men are moving onto the Minerva, that means we'd better get going too" Kojiro said.

"What about Commander Rach and Tasha?" Branden asked.

"They'll join up with us later, right now we need to prepare our machines for launch, I trust you'll adapt to the new machine?"

"Its basically a faster model of the Murasama isn't it?"

"It is Branden but its also so much more than that" Erica Simmons said as she walked into the hanger.

The Murasama Rogue was taller but less bulky than its original counterpart. It bared a darker and more demonic appearance and wielded heavier weapons.

"Murasama Rogue, my new machine, makes you wonder when you'll get a new one Kojiro" Branden said.

Kojiro huffed outwardly but did think inwardly think of a few makeshift upgrades they could do at the Minerva. At least until they reached a Sensou base, or a point in the war where a new or upgraded machine was called for.

"So my machine is in the black, what's in the red?" Branden asked, looking over a locked red container.

"I suppose I could tell you, its not as if it'll spoil any great surprise, its Lord Uzumi's inheritance to Casvall" Erica said.

"Casvall, he'd better make it back, I cant think of anyone who should sort Orb out more than him" Branden said.

"You'd better get inside your machine Branden, we need to be ready to launch at any time" Kojiro said, climbing up the foot line towards his mobile suit's cockpit.

* * *

Far away from the confusion of Orb, Heiwa Jaeger drank from a small beer bottle. His brothers and sisters gathered around him.

"So where do we go from here?" Stefan asked.

"Isn't it obvious, the company plays both sides, but the family itself picks a side" Nina said.

"Nii-san, are we going to get Simon and Gekido to join us? Are we going to fight together?" Tania asked.

"We'll meet Simon very soon, he'll be happy to see us but I cant say the same for Gekido" Heiwa said.

Tania lowered her head, hugging both her shoulders.

"Are we going to have to fight big brother?" She asked.

Heiwa got off his chair, walking over to the little girl and pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, all of you, but Gekido isn't part of the family anymore" Heiwa said.

Tania's eyes watered and Nina joined in the hug. Stefan whistled, keeping his hands in his pockets as he walked towards the door.

"Stefan, get over here" Nina growled.

Stefan sighed before patting his sibling's backs. It was the best he could do considering he wasn't the emotional kind of guy. Several shadowed giants watched the family embrace one another, before their eyes blinked with power.

* * *

**Because I am Black Ops no one will cry for me. I can't recall who told me, but I remember once hearing that if your going to die, die for something that matters or perhaps die with someone you love beside you. Unfortunately I can receive neither. The man I love does not love me back, and it is the fate of soldiers to die for unworthy causes.**

Vincent dragged his sabre across the Strike Noir's sword, sending sparks flying towards the water. Both machines slammed their weapons together, while the Buster and Duel lined up shots. Jone landed on one of the islands, sighing as he watched the battle unfold.

"I never thought we'd be able to kill the leader of Sensou in our first battle" Mudie said.

"Hey don't be too premature about it Mudie, we may just end up regretting it" Shams said.

"Alls he has is a G-wing defending him, and his machine's mediocre"

**I do not exist; I am just a ghost a ghost without a purpose. Undeserving of happiness for the lives I have taken. My parents didn't want me, Blue Cosmos never valued me and Sensou didn't acknowledge me.**

"Plus lets not forget the fancy new toys we've been given Shams" Mudie said.

The Duel reached behind its back, removing a bazooka of some kind.

"Mudie, Heiwa told us not to use that weapon in this circumstance" Shams said.

"To hell with that, I'm about to show this guy he's been wrong, the only good coordinator is a dead coordinator and the same applies to their lovers…DIE!" Mudie yelled.

She fired the bazooka, sending a round flying towards the ReZel. Vincent knocked the Noir back and turned to the round. He widened his eyes as the round broke apart, releasing an electric wave. The pulse passed through the cockpit of the suit, causing Vincent to yell out in pain.

"VINCENT!" Tasha yelled.

"Now for the killing shot" Mudie said.

**That's it, at Jachin Due that man Gekido Jaeger didn't give up. Even at the cost of his own life he was willing to give everything for his comrades. And if I am to have lived a worthwhile existence I need to be willing to die as well.**

Jone lowered his head while the Duel fired its pistols. The beams flew towards the Rezel, ready to pierce the machines cockpit. Suddenly, the G-wing slammed into the side of the Rezel, pushing it sideways. The Duel's shots struck the top of the G-Wing, blowing pieces of its armour off. Vincent looked to his side to see the electricity from the plasma field bullet passing into the G-Wing's cockpit.

"TASH!" He yelled as the G-Wing began to fall towards one of the nearby islands.

Vincent's heartbeat drummed as he flew after the falling G-Wing. The small fighter crashed through the forest and the mobile suit landed beside it. Vincent jumped out of his cockpit, throwing his helmet off and running towards the G-Wing. He pried the cockpit open, looking the woman he once dated. She was curled up inside the machine, hugging her arms as blood ran down her nose.

"TASHA!" Vincent yelled.

"Vincent" She whispered.

"Oh god, the plasma field, the G-wing's armour wasn't strong enough to stop it" Vincent said, pulling Tasha out of the cockpit.

"My internal organs could cope with the G-Forces of the crash and the explosion overloaded one of the computers" Tasha explained, removing her hand from her side, revealing a horrid burn with a shard of glass pierced through the skin. "Don't grieve commander, I don't exist"

"STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!" Vincent yelled. "Stop it Tasha, you live, this gives you the right to choose your own path, your own ending because you exist" He explained, cupping the woman's cheeks.

"You…called me…beautiful, but above all that…you said…I exist" Tasha said weakly.

"Tasha, Tasha, don't give up, I order you not to give up, damn it soldier I gave you an order…please, please Tasha, not you, anyone but you"

Tasha planted a hand on Vincent's cheek and smiled.

**"You exist", for so long I wanted to hear those words. Now not only have I heard those words, not only have I fought for something worth dying for but now I can die by the side of the man I love. I am Tasha Sanada, I existed and I was happy.**

Vincent widened his eyes as Tasha's hand dropped. He held her body tighter, tears falling from his eyes as he yelled.

"We've done our job, its time to go" Sven said.

Mudie nodded her head, mounting the Duel's flight platform. The three Gundam's began their flight back to Alliance HQ, while a squadron of Jet Windam's flew towards the island, led by a dark silver colour Windam.

"Colonel Eunathas and his squad will deal with Commander Rach" Sven said.

"Commander Rach" Mudie scoffed. "I cant believe a bleeding heart like him became a Commander, I mean the guy seriously liked coordinators, look at all they've done, I'm betting that bitch in the fighter was a…"

Mudie's words were interrupted as a beam pierced her suits cockpit. The Duel exploded right before Shams and Sven's eyes.

"MUDIE!" Shams yelled.

Unbeknownst to the two pilots, Jeremiah had been watching the machines with one of his portable camera mobile suits, the ones he and Scirocco often used to watch current events. He had seen the glint of the mystery sniper's scope and had guessed that the Duel would be the easiest target to shoot. It was a great loss, redesigning the Duel would be hard work.

"The only good Blue Cosmos member…is a dead Blue cosmos member" Jeremiah said.

Vincent opened his dark eyes, flying the Rezel into the air. He'd need to give Tasha's body a proper burial, but before that time he'd need to clean up the area. He activated the G-Wing's pre-programmed sequence. The autopilot of the G-Wing took over, flying into the air while the Rezel flew beside it.

"This is for you Tasha, beginning Burning component uplink, switching to reflex cockpit mode" Vincent said.

His controls were replaced with holographic uplinks, with holographic target retinas over his eyes and controls at his hands. The G-Wing released a stream of missiles, all of which gave off clouds of smoke, obscuring the Windam squadron's vision. Upon Vincent's command, the Rezel began the first stages of its uplink process. It spread its arms out, folding out parts of its backpack to form V shaped wings. The burning components attached to the G-Wing then flew off, beginning to link with the Rezel. A faceplate and V-Fin attached themselves to the Rezel's head, lighting up two glowing blue eyes. Extra rockets slammed into the Rezel's back and layers of armour began to slam onto the Rezel's body. A shield attached itself to its right arm and a beam rifle with a scope flew into the Rezel's left hand. The beam rifle was the same kind used by the First Gundam.

"Activating Phase Shift armour system, releasing first battery, loading spare"

The Rezel ejected its first useless battery and then activated the spare, spreading a phase shift armour effect across the mobile suit. The Rezel's armour had changed from a Blue colour to a grey colour.

"Burning Rezel activated, launching attack!"

Next Chapter 18: Orbs path

* * *

I've imagined the Burning Rezel looking like a grey version of the Gundam Mark 3 from the Zeta Mobile Suit Variation designs, see if your curious. Thansk for the reviews everyone, tell me what you thought


	19. Orb's Path

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam, Cain Euthanas is the property of 00virtuezero

I now have an editor/Beta reader, credit goes to Name Under Construction for what I feel was a decent editing job.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter guys and girls :)

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 18: Orb's path

Two years ago, Orb was the ground of a tremendous battle. That day, Shinn Asuka lost his family yet in a way, found a new sense of purpose. The battle had awakened his fighting spirit, but also his desire to make a difference. But now Orb was going down the same path again. The Athha family was driving a country his parents loved to ruin once more. As a result, Shinn made it clear that if Orb was to be his enemy, then he would destroy the country with his own hands. He sat in the cockpit of the Core Splendor, looking over at the Aero Gundam as it was being prepared for combat. Although strangely, Silver Mask had yet to come out of his quarters, even with members of the crew knocking at his door. Meanwhile, Atlantic Federation ships continued to gather outside of Orb, ready to destroy the Minerva as it left the country.

Cagalli brooded as she walked through the halls of Orb's defence headquarters. She understood the need to defend Orb through enforcing its neutrality policy. But Yuna was already acting like Orb was part of the Earth Alliance. Now an Atlantic Federation navy fleet was gathered on the edge of the country's borders. In a sense it was a pincer attack, as both fleets would fire on the Minerva. The ship couldn't go back to Orb, so it had to move forward.

"Um, Silver Mask sir…we're about to go into battle!" Luna said anxiously, knocking on Silver Mask's door.

Nia tapped her foot against the floor while Joe sighed. Luna widened her eyes as she heard a pained groan coming from the room.

"Silver Mask, are you all right?" she asked.

The door suddenly slid open, revealing the man himself.

"Perfectly. Why aren't you guys ready for combat?" he deflected.

"We can't fly" Nia said bluntly.

"That doesn't mean you can't fight. Come." Silver Mask instructed.

Shinn slid his helmet's visor down as Silver Mask climbed into his own machine. The Aero Gundam was loaded onto the catapult as Silver Mask ran through the jet's activation system. His glowing eye blinked for a moment as he rubbed his head.

"Is everything all right, sir?" Meyrin queried.

"Yes, Miss Hawke, I'm ready to launch." The masked man said in response.

"The Catapult is ready, you're clear to launch Aero!"

"Enemies in front, soon-to-be enemies behind and nowhere for this ship to go but forward. Now _this_ is my kind of fight! Silver Mask, launching!"

The Aero Gundam slid across the catapult and ignited its tail rockets. Earth Alliance Windams had already launched from the Navy ships and were targeting the Minerva.

"It's the Aero, the machine of that masked mercenary!" One of the Earth Alliance pilots exclaimed.

"All units converge on the Aero, destroy it before it transforms!" Their Commander instructed.

Silver Mask slid one of the panels on his side open and flipped several switches. The Aero fighter's wings expanded, igniting a pair of beam blades. Then Silver Mask turned a dial above his radar, opening the fighter's nose cone. One of the Earth Alliance pilots looked at the glowing centre of the nose cone and widened his eyes. Images of the Purpose flashed before his eyes. He remembered the unique generator used by the Purpose and mass production machines such as the Orion and Kratos units.

"An Arc generator. The Aero has an Arc Generator!" He cried, panicked.

The Aero covered its nose cone with a green nose shield, protecting itself from beam fire. Silver Mask then charged into the Windam squadrons, firing missiles and cutting apart Windams with the Aero's wing blades. Orb soldiers gasped as explosions lit up their skies. The Aero fighter moved between Windams, firing its beam rifles. It shot Windams in the chest and head, even shooting out the wings of their jet packs. Silver Mask targeted multiple Windams and released his missiles.

"Unlike your Purpose, the Aero's fighter form was designed for combat and not long distance travel. This jet could take on a whole battleship if it had to." Silver Mask explained.

He turned the Aero around and fired beam blasts into the back of several Windams. The Minerva crew got the core splendor onto the launch catapult. Joe, Rey, Luna and Nia mounted their machines while Shinn prepped for launch.

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor launching!" He shouted.

The parts for the Impulse linked together with the Force Silhouette. As soon as Shinn entered the battle he began firing his beam rifle. Windams were shot through the chest as Shinn flew between them. He fired several more shots, blowing up several Windams. One of the Windams drew their beam sabre and tried to slash the Impulse, but Shinn shot the machine in the chest, watching it blow up before moving onto his next target. Windams flew at the Minerva, but gunfire from the bow side CIWS cut apart the attackers. Silver Mask sliced two Windams in half and flew past the Impulse. Shinn then shot the two Windams pursuing the Aero.

"All of those mobile suits for one ship, what the fuck are the Earth Alliance thinking?" Nia asked as the Zakus and the Kampfer walked out of the catapult.

"They're approaching it the smart way. Means more enemies for us to deal with." Joe remarked.

"Luna, Nia, you two use the Gunner packs for this battle." Rey instructed.

The Red and Blue Zakus removed their long range beam cannons while the Kampfer kept its 360 mm bazooka and Panzer Faust warhead ready. Joe smirked as several Windams flew towards the ship.

"Alright boys and girls, time to have some fun." The ace said.

* * *

Earth Alliance Commander Cain Eunathas cared little for politics or ideals. He had orders to fight and they were good orders. If they had been bad orders he may have questioned them and altered the strategy in order to make the mission easier. But this mission had a high probability of success. Sensou Grand Commander Vincent Rach had just been in a battle with four G-Type mobile suits. He was worn out and angry because of a pilot's death. This would make him sloppy and in turn, make Cain's job easier. He led a small group of Phantom Pain Jet Dagger Ls. They had enough experience to handle a pilot such as Rach - but Cain wasn't going to become overconfident.

"Surround him men, force him to fly towards me." Cain commanded.

"Yes, Commander!" His men chorused.

Vincent flew the Burning ReZEL straight towards the enemy mobile suits. He was no longer in the mood for games. Targeting retinas appeared over his eyes and when he raised his rifle, one of the retinas went red, focusing on his target. He fired a beam straight towards the lead machine. Cain swerved out of the way, smirking at Vincent's intelligence.

"Take out the head first, huh? Not good enough I'm afraid, all units commence attack." Cain taunted.

The Dagger Ls began firing their beam rifles, forcing the ReZEL to fly upwards. Cain narrowed his eyes at the ReZEL as it flew higher and higher into the sky.

"Pursue him, now!" he ordered.

Cain fired his beam rifle, abandoning his original tactic and joining his men in their pursuit. The storm of beams flying towards the ReZEL would cause mediocre pilots to panic. But Vincent was far from mediocre. Cain had read of the man's exploits at Panama and had even heeded the rumours of Jachin Due. He was the man who had piloted a barely rebuilt "First Gundam" and still managed to fight evenly with Rau Le Creuset. Reportedly, he had even killed the terrorist Uragiri. That, and Rach had the firm strength of character to kill a village full of people.

'What are you planning, Rach?' Cain wondered.

"He just keeps flying up and up, what's he trying to do?" One of the pilots asked.

They were storeys above the water now, they had even soared past the clouds. And still the ReZEL flew ever higher. Cain widened his eyes, finally realising his foe's plan.

"Cain, stop flying now!" The voice of Jeremiah came over the radio, the man having also come to the same realization.

Cain's Windam, luckily, had better equipment than the Dagger Ls – their pilots unfortunate enough to fall for Vincent's trick.

"What the- MY ENGINES ARE FREEZING!" A pilot yelled.

Vincent then dived downwards, using the panic caused by their freezing jet engines to his advantage. He drew his beam sabre, slicing one of the Dagger Ls in half. Then he turned to another, stabbing it in the chest. Beams began flying out of space, hitting the Dagger Ls from above. Nick Armstrong and his team of snipers fired their rifles from the comfort of a Base Class ship.

"Ha _ha_, didn't you idiots ever watch Iron Man?" Armstrong snarked, laughing as his GM fired its rifle.

The beams impaled and shot apart some of the Dagger Ls and forced Cain to evade. He let his mobile suit fall, using his shield to block shots until he was out of firing range. The ReZEL suddenly flew out of the clouds, swinging its sabre towards the Windam. Cain flipped in midair, aiming a kick towards the ReZEL. But Vincent ducked and swung his sabre upwards. Cain deflected the blade with his shield and aimed his rifle point blank in Vincent's face. Vincent fired his Vulcans, tearing the battery of the rifle. Cain threw his rifle aside and flew backwards, firing his own Vulcans at the ReZEL.

"Jeremiah, where are the Skygraspers?" asked Cain.

"On their way Cain, they have Aile, Sword and Blast packs ready!" Jeremiah responded.

Cain flew away from the ReZEL, disengaging his jet pack. He then swung around, firing his Vulcans at the pack. The jets blew up, obscuring Vincent's view. Cain radioed the Skygrasper pilots, telling them to release the Aile pack. The Windam lined up with the Skygraspers, one of which released the Aile pack. Vincent narrowed his eyes at the Windam as the flight pack slammed into the machine's back. Cain targeted the ReZEL and drew his beam sabres. He spun around, dodging the spray of bullets fired by the ReZEL's Vulcans.

'Not good enough.' Cain thought.

Vincent yelled and blocked Cain's sabres with his own. He forced his mobile suit forward, pushing the Windam back slightly. Then he pulled his mobile suit back, dodging Cain's left sabre. Cain thrust his right sabre forward, barely brushing Vincent's shoulder. The ReZEL's eyes flashed before Vincent grinded his sabre against Cain's swords.

"Colonel Euthanas, let us back you up!" The Skygrasper sword pilot shouted.

"Fly around him, but only distract him. The killing shots will be mine." Cain boasted, grinning as he swung his sabres downwards.

The force of the blows forced Vincent back, throwing him against his seat. He looked up at the Windam and then turned his attention to his warning alarm – the Skygraspers were attacking to his right. He pulled out his targeting camera, drawing his rifle and fired a blast at the Windam.

"Trying to get me to back up in fear, huh?" accused Cain.

Cain split the beam apart and flew straight towards the ReZEL. Vincent bought his ReZEL's arm up, using the added armour to block Cain's sabre. The Sword Skygrasper folded out its sword, attempting to cut the ReZEL down the middle. But Vincent kicked off of the Windam, flying away from the Skygrasper and mobile suit.

"He's better then we thought he'd be!" The Skygrasper Blast pilot complained.

"But not good enough to survive attacks from all sides!" The pilot of the Aile Skygrasper reassured him, firing a missile at the back of the ReZEL. Vincent grunted as the explosion threw him forward, Cain then flew forward, slashing the ReZEL's shoulder. Vincent quickly flipped his mobile suit around and kicked the Windam across the head. Cain widened his eyes as the ReZEL then thrust its foot into his chest, throwing him backwards. Vincent then took out his shield and threw it, the shield spinning like a discus until it crashed through the Skygrasper Blast's cockpit.

"Damn, we're already losing more pilots than Sensou and ZAFT!" Jeremiah cried, watching both the battles of the ReZEL and of the Minerva.

"It seems we underestimated Vincent Rach, sir." Jessica quipped.

Jeremiah slammed his hand against his armrest, looking at the battle with disdain. Vincent swerved to the right, hitting the Windam with several bullets from his Vulcan. Cain linked his sabres together and linked the two sabres to his machine's wrists. He began spinning the wrists of his Windam, using the spinning beam blades to block the ReZEL's Vulcans and force it back. Vincent frowned and fired his beam rifle, only to have the beam blocked by the Windam's sabres. Knowing they could overheat, Cain stopped spinning the sabres. Instead, he then threw them, sending them spinning towards the ReZEL. Vincent flew downwards, yelling as two missiles slammed into his mobile suit's chest.

"You may be good at fighting opponents in duels, but on a real battlefield, superior numbers can overwhelm you!" Cain pontificated.

Jeremiah turned to the battle in Orb, narrowing his eyes at the Aero. It hadn't yet changed out of its fighter form. Silver Mask was either trying to make a point, or mock the Alliance forces. Perhaps both. The Aero fighter fired several more blasts from its beam cannon, destroying two Windams. Joe fired his shotgun, blowing a Windam out of the sky. Rey fired several shots from his beam rifle, blowing off the limbs of a Windam before it crashed into the water. Talia gave the order to fire and the ship released a volley of missiles. The mobile suits dodged the missiles and the gunfire from the ship. Silver Mask swung his head around, watching the EA flagship launch a mobile armour of some kind.

"Is that the Zamza-Zah?" Jessica asked.

"Yes." Jeremiah replied.

He narrowed his eyes at the mobile armour. Though mobile suits had replaced mobile armour as the dominant war machine, there were still many that pushed for advancements in mobile armour technology. The Zamza was the result of those advancements. Jeremiah sighed as he leant back into his chair. This would only strengthen the Seiran's side of an Orb and Atlantic Federation Alliance. He didn't like the Seiran family, not many people respected them, but Jeremiah could honestly say that every member of the family made his skin crawl. But the Seirans were nothing if not deceptive. And it was there ability to deceive that would allow them to take Orb without a single bullet having to be fired.

"Yuna, what is going on here?" Cagalli asked as she entered the Orb Defence HQ.

All of the Orb soldiers promptly saluted their representative and then got back to work.

"The Earth Alliance fleet is attacking the Minerva." Yuna drawled.

"That isn't fair! Where was the Minerva supposed to go after it was _forced_ to leave this country?" Cagalli protested.

"I've sent out Orb's fleet, they will fire warning shots in case the Minerva tries to cross back into our territory. Even though we haven't officially signed the treaty, we've decided to join the Earth Alliance. As that ship is an enemy of the Atlantic Federation, it is obvious what stance we should take." Yuna explained condescendingly, ignoring Cagalli's question.

Two spies narrowed their eyes at the nobleman. They worked for Scirocco and Treize respectively. Both had become familiar with the integrity of the Orb government. If Cagalli was in her right mind she would put Yuna in his place. But she wasn't in her right mind and the man Yuna feared the most was in the deepest reaches of space. Treize and Scirocco had no doubt that Orb would join the Earth Alliance. Cagalli herself was starting to realise the necessity of an alliance. Orb was damned if it didn't join but if it did, then there was a likelihood that Cagalli could save the people of Orb. But the girl still wanted to compromise neither her political views, nor her morality.

"Yuna, stop this now!" she commanded.

Yuna swung around, looking Cagalli in the eye.

"This country is not your plaything, stop making decisions based simply on how you feel!" he retorted.

If Casvall were there, Yuna wouldn't have dared talk to Cagalli like that. Branden and Kojiro slid their helmet visors down and began launch preparations. Sheryl was already on the ship with her mechanics, working frantically with the Minerva crew. The Zamza fired blast after blast from its cannons, forcing the Aero and the Impulse to manoeuvre across the battlefield. Luna fired her cannon, cutting a Windam in half. The Minerva bought ups its positron cannon, the Tannhauser.

"Fire!" Talia yelled.

The incredible white and blue beam flew towards the Earth Alliance fleet. However, much to the shock of the Minerva crew and the Orb fleet, the Zamza blocked the beam.

"A positron reflector shield" Talia and Jeremiah exclaimed.

The Aero folded into its mobile suit form, its sole eye glowing at the mobile armour.

"Now _this_ is going to be a good fight." Silver Mask said with dark delight.

"Hope you don't mind some company."

Silver Mask smirked as he looked to his right. The Kenshin and Murasama Rogue were flying towards the battlefield. Kojiro flew on a flight platform while the Murasama Rogue's powerful rockets kept it above the ocean. Branden's Gundam was equipped with powerful, three bladed gauntlets that were more then a match for beam sabres. He split a Windam into three pieces, while the Kenshin fired the missiles on its flight platform, destroying several Windams. Kojiro then took his sword and sliced through a Windam's cockpit, staining the sword with the pilot's blood.

"It's great to be back in the fighting." Branden quipped.

The Murasama Rogue cut two more Windams apart before firing the chain-linked Gatling guns on its shoulders, one of the Windams cut apart by the volley of bullets. While the Sensou and ZAFT mobile suits fought for their lives, the Orb fleet watched the battle. Veteran Captain Todoka watched with particular disdain.

"So we're to ally with the people whom attacked us two years ago and to keep out those who fought heroically to save the Earth. I believe the word for that is 'ungrateful'. Then again, that word probably doesn't exist in politics" he remarked dourly.

"Sir, despite our warnings the Minerva is drifting towards our territory!" one of the crewmembers said, panicking.

"Fine, fire a few shots into the water near them – but don't hit them." Todoka commanded.

"But sir, that goes against our orders!"

"I'm not a politician."

Nia fired her cannon at the Windams, cursing as her low power warning lit up. She disconnected the gunner pack and began firing shots with her beam rifle. The Orb ships began firing a volley of missiles, bombing the water near the Minerva and pushing it away from Orb borders. Shinn turned the Impulse around, looking at the Orb ships.

"They're attacking us!" He shouted angrily.

Suddenly, the Impulse jerked as the Zamza grabbed the Gundam's leg with its claws.

"Oh shit!" Shinn yelled.

"Damn it Orb, why did you have to kick us out, you stick-in-the-ass country? And where's Vincent, we fucking need him!" Nia cried.

Kojiro span his Naginata around, blocking the beams fired by several Windams. He ignited the staff's beam blade and sliced two Windams in half with a single swing.

"Commander Rach is currently engaged in a test flight, but it isn't like him to take this long. And watch your language in regards to Orb." Kojiro responded.

"Captain, the Impulse's power is at critical levels!" Meyrin said.

'Damn it!' Shinn thought.

Jeremiah lowered his head at the sight of the giant mobile armor trapping the Gundam. The Zamza had firepower, enough firepower to keep the other Gundams back while it finished off their ally. Jeremiah pitied the pilot of the Impulse, just as he pitied Vincent Rach. Cain and the Skygraspers showed Vincent no mercy, never allowing him to catch a break. The ReZEL was constantly on the move, dodging beam fire from every direction.

'Damn it!' Vincent thought, unknowingly in synch with Shinn.

Cain flew downwards, swinging his sabre towards the ReZEL's chest. Vincent yelled as he pulled his mobile suit backwards, when a missile suddenly flew into its back.

"I can't die here, I have to get to the Minerva!" Vincent declared.

He dived downwards, dodging beams fired by the Skygraspers. Cain drew his beam rifle, firing at the back of Vincent's ReZEL.

"Darcel Archer, are you ready?" Cain asked over the radio.

The Slaughter moved through the forests of one of the nearby islands. Darcel smirked as he cleared the trees away and aimed his Gatling Guns at the ReZEL. Vincent widened his eyes as the Slaughter's eyes glowed.

Shinn couldn't hear the explosions around him. He couldn't hear Meyrin and Silver Mask yelling over the radio. Nothing outside of himself existed anymore. All he saw were his failures, the result of his lack of power. He saw his parents and sister, crushed under the arm of a Strike Dagger. Then he saw the daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha, preaching to others over matters she didn't understand. He saw Vincent Rach, looking at him with empty eyes.

'I won't…'

Mayu was running through the park, laughing as the leaves fell.

'I won't let it end like this.'

A red seed was spinning.

'I won't…'

Mayu smiled and the seed shattered.

"I WON'T DIE HERE!" Shinn roared.

He was back on the battlefield, his eyes seeing the enemies with the upmost of clarity and his mind processing the best method of defeating them. The Impulse swung its arm round, cutting the Zamza's claw with its sabre. Silver Mask turned his head towards the Impulse, stroking his chin curiously. Shinn yelled as he stabbed his sabre into the Zamza's cockpit, killing its crew of three. Jeremiah got off his chair, watching in shock as the Zamza blew up before his eyes. He then looked to the battle with the ReZEL and growled in frustration. Darcel hadn't yet delivered the killing shot.

"Darcel, what's going on?" Cain asked, annoyed.

Darcel clutched his head in a mixture of pain and confusion. Then he recognised the familiarity of the feeling he was experiencing.

"He's here!" He whispered.

Vincent and Cain both widened their eyes as the Purpose Mk 2 burst out of the bushes beside Darcel. It sliced the Slaughter's guns apart with its sabre and flew upwards towards the ReZEL. The Purpose flew past the ReZEL, delivering a right hook that crushed the Sword Skygrasper's cockpit. Cain turned to the AI controlled machine and swung his beam sabre. But the ReZEL quickly turned around and sliced off the Windam's arm. The Purpose then threw a beam Kunai into Cain's rifle, blowing it up before he could fire another shot.

"All units, commence retreat now!" Cain ordered.

"We can still win!" Darcel protested.

"Not in our current condition. This is neither a victory nor a defeat, today both sides lost an equal amount of pilots."

Jeremiah watched the Impulse fly to the Minerva as it opened its launch catapult. Another silhouette flyer took off as the ship fired its Deterion beam. The thin beam hit the Gundam's V-Fin, recharging its power supply. Shinn then disengaged his Force pack, the Sword Silhouette taking its place on the back of the Impulse, changing its chest and feet armour to a red colour. Shinn flew straight towards the Earth Alliance fleet, shocking Branden and Kojiro with his initiative.

"Don't just sit there with your mouths open, JOIN THE PARTY!" Silver Mask yelled eagerly.

Earth Alliance crewmembers began to panic as the Impulse landed on the flagship. Shinn stabbed his sword into the front of the ship, and then slashed the bridge. The two portions of the ship slid from their original places, crashing into the ocean. Silver Mask unfolded an anti-ship sword, igniting the doubled edged beam blades. Branden drew the Rogue assault swords from the Murasama's waist while Kojiro jumped off of his platform with his spear ready. The three Gundams began to cut apart the Earth Alliance ships. Kojiro remained in his calm state, indifferent to the screaming crewmembers crushed beneath his blade. Branden yelled, dragging his sword across the side of one of the boats. Silver Mask even laughed as he crashed his sword into the bridges of the ships. Shinn however, howled in raw fury, looking at the bridge of the final remaining Earth Alliance ship. He roared, crashing his sword into the bridge and flying away from the burning wreckage.

"My god!" One of Jeremiah's aides gasped.

"Remember that scene men. That… is the power of a Gundam." Jeremiah said weakly.

Jeremiah pressed a button on his remote, turning off the screen and focusing on the scene with the ReZEL and Purpose Mk 2. He watched the two mobile suits land on one of the nearby islands. They stared one another down, and Jeremiah could only imagine what Vincent was saying.

"Who do you fight for?" He would have asked.

The Purpose raised its fist and Jeremiah gasped as the sentient machine and the piloted ReZEL slammed their fists together. This was the beginning of a very strange friendship in Sensou, and the beginning of terror for the Earth forces.

Next Chapter 19: Alliances

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter


	20. Alliances

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Alistair Blitzkrieg is the property of 00virtuezero

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty?

Chapter 19: Alliances

Flay Alster felt a mixture of frustration and happiness. Her frustration stemmed from Sensou having already lost a valued mechanic, the leader of the black ops and a Gundam pilot. Though Nena hadn't been killed in battle, it was reported that she had abandoned her post. Natarle's latest update on the search for the missing colonists wasn't promising, either. Though the team had recovered a prisoner, they had yet to make any further progress. But the near-certainty that Gekido was alive and fighting on the right side of the war filled Flay with joy, although she still felt angry that he hadn't contacted his old comrades. There was another reason for her to be happy – Sensou would now officially sign a treaty with ZAFT, forming a solid alliance. This would enable them to fight the Earth Alliance as a single united force, combining all of their strength together. At the beginning of the war, many of Sensou's financial backers had cancelled their funding. But Sensou now had a chance of getting more funding than ever as an ally of ZAFT.

* * *

Sensou and ZAFT were not the only groups allying themselves. Orb would inevitably join the Earth Alliance and Dagger Thanos himself had formed numerous allegiances, most of which were temporary until he formed a solid base on Earth. Though the Kingdom of Azadistan had denied offers of an alliance from both the Atlantic Federation and Thanos's own faction, the land was still overrun by terrorists and warmongering. The kingdom's representative simply lacked the killer instinct to settle the terrorist problem the way it needed to be solved. However, not all terrorist organisations had rejected Dagger's offer to ally. One organisation, known as Kataron, felt that Dagger would be the one to change Earth Alliance policies and had decided to become their allies.

"I can't believe we're fighting alongside terrorists…" Lain said quietly as she prepped her Zaku Kai for launch.

"Don't forget, Lain – one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. But this group below us are merely common thugs, they just happen to have a fancier base than ours." Cairo explained, floating towards his own mobile suit.

He would be piloting a Zaku Kai also, but like the other elite units it had two eyes instead of a mono-eye. Cairo's machine was heavy, the way his machines tended to be and had been modified with desert camouflage. Missile launchers had been attached to the wrists and heavy linear cannons were fused to his Zaku's back. The Zaku was equipped with a heat halberd instead of an axe. Meanwhile, their leader climbed into his Black Gundam. Dagger closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His hands squeezed the controls, his heart pumping quickly.

"Tell me Lain, are you scared?" Cairo asked.

"No sir." Lain hastily replied.

"Really… Well, the Commander's terrified." Cairo smiled, looking over at his long-time friend's machine.

Dagger opened his eyes and slid his faceplate down.

"All units, begin drop towards the rebel base." Dagger ordered.

Red eyes began to light up as the Zaku Kais of the Black Storm unit activated. The Black Gundam moved on ahead first, holding its shield out for re-entry. Grunt units used small landing craft, designed to shield them from re-entry while groups of pilots used landing pods. The moment Black Storm touched the clouds, they were welcomed by linear cannon fire.

"Damn it Alistair, why haven't you taken out those linear guns?" Cairo demanded, annoyed.

"We are not prepared for this kind of mission – even with the reinforcements from Kataron, these rebels have us at a major disadvantage. We can't even move our forces in! Bob, lay down some fire!" Alistair Blitzkrieg ordered one of the pilots.

An extremely heavy mobile suit hovered around Alistair's red CGUE. The heavy mobile suit had sandy armour and looked more like a tank with arms. It folded out a massive 680 mm cannon and took aim at the rebel forces. The rebel forces consisted of GINNs, ZuOOTs, BuCUEs and the nimble and slim jet type mobile suits known as Hellions. Alistair's CGUE threw its hand forward, commanding the Xemel to fire its cannon. The heavy type mobile suit fired its main gun, crushing a ZuOOT's cockpit. Zaku Kais and Black GINNs fired their rifles at the air, trying to bring down the Hellions. But the Hellions were much faster machines, bombarding the newly-grounded forces with shots from their linear rifles.

"Where do you think this group got all of its funding?" Lukas asked Leons as they ran across the field.

The PMC Astray sliced a GINN in half with its sabre, while the Strike E threw its beam boomerang. The boomerang sliced several BuCUEs in half before returning to his hand.

"They couldn't have possibly amassed all of this defence just by stealing from the local government – linear cannons don't come cheaply." Leons muttered darkly.

Lukas blocked several bullets before firing his short beam rifles back at several GINNs. The GINNs took cover, but were promptly shot apart by a Black Storm DINN. Dagger looked down the sight of his sniper rifle as he dropped towards the linear cannon. His warning alarm blazed and he moved his Gundam to the right, narrowly dodging a shot from the linear cannon. Rebel GINNs and ZuOOTs pointed towards the sky as the Black Gundam began firing its rifle, sending green beams slamming into the ground and throwing BuCUEs and GINNs off-balance. Hellions flew at the Black Gundam, only to be shot at by the Zaku Kais. Lain fired her beam rifle, shooting down several Hellions. The drop pods opened, releasing the Zaku Kais.

"Why do terrorists like these have access to such powerful tech?" Alistair queried, ducking his CGUE to provide covering fire.

"They're being funded by an outside faction of considerable power." Dagger responded.

Lain jumped off of her landing platform and ignited her mobile suit's rockets, flying closer and closer towards the ground. Cairo fired his missiles, bombing a group of GINNs.

"Lain, watch yourself, from this height and speed the Zaku Kais won't survive landing! Pull the pin on your parachute!" Cairo ordered.

Lain nervously tapped the buttons on her parachute control. She had to fight harder; otherwise her precious comrades would die. Her parachute slowed her fall and she kept on firing her beam rifle, attempting to clear a landing zone even if it cost her her life.

"Lain, don't fight so hard, you'll get yourself killed. And I thought Marcus was the reckless one." Cairo sighed.

The bulky man widened his eyes as he saw a ground type Hellion aiming its machine gun. Its target was Lain, and the trajectory would allow for a definite kill shot. Lain gasped, realising that even if she unclipped her parachute, the other Hellions would just shoot her to pieces.

"LAIN!" Cairo screamed.

"DIE, SPACE MONSTER!" The Hellion pilot yelled.

Suddenly, a beam pierced the Hellion's cockpit. The other Hellions turned around, their pilots taken aback in surprise. Marcus's Zaku charged towards the Hellions, firing his beam rifle and lifting his heavy assault sword. Bullets bounced off of his machine's armour, clipping it repeatedly. But Marcus kept charging on. Then he swung his sword around, cleaving two Hellions in half. He stabbed another in the chest and slashed through another Hellion's cockpit. Lain unclipped her parachute, landing behind Marcus and shooting a Hellion beside him.

"Marcus, you shouldn't be so reckless!" Lain scolded, failing to see the irony.

Marcus raised his eyebrow while Cairo shook his head. Dagger used his thrusters to slow his fall while firing his shoulder cannon at the linear guns. He drew his red beam sabre as he landed, causing the rebel pilots to freeze in shock and awe. The man didn't give them a moment to react, immediately charging ahead. The Black Gundam sliced one of the GINNs in half and dragged its sabre across the side of one of the linear cannons. Still he kept moving forward, the linear cannon exploding behind him.

"THEY'RE BREAKING THROUGH!" One of the rebels yelled.

Dagger ran his Gundam across the battlefield, slicing through several more rebel mobile suits. He span around, cutting down a GINN and then jumping into the air. As he landed, the former ZAFT commander drew another sabre, splitting two Hellions in half. Alistair drew his CGUE's anti-ship sword and led his forces in a charge towards the rebel base.

"Marcus, this group was financed by someone in a position of power, right?" Lain inquired.

"Yes, at the very least they possess a lot of money and there's no doubt that Sensou has begun investigating the matter. But they won't find much, seeing as it's not just mercenary companies profiting from this war. Kataron gives us shelter because they believe that we can change the system, Nena Trinity has given us Intel because she believes that we will avenge the deaths of her lover and brothers… _that _is how they profit. It doesn't necessarily have to be money – remember that, Lain. Not everyone within every faction is righteous, and even the people who fight "to end all war" are imperfect beings." Marcus's speech seemed to echo through the radio channels as the Thanos army ripped apart the Rebel forces.

Lain surveyed the battlefield, watching as her fellow soldiers, people she knew to be good men and women, showing no mercy to a band of criminals. Dagger flew downwards, blasting several GINNs as he headed straight for the Rebel leader. The Rebel leader used a LaGOWE, a prototype unit used by Waltfeld in the last war.

"Bastard, you come here and kill my men without mercy when all we wanted was to was change the system!" The leader shouted, slamming his hand against his armrest.

Dagger's face appeared on the leader's screen. The Admiral's eyes showed little emotion as he talked down to the leader.

"You attempted to overthrow the Azadistan government. Then you bullied merchants and business owners simply trying to import their products to other regions. They tried to improve their homeland through the expansion of their business and the understanding of other cultures. You mock the young representative of your neighbouring homeland, a land you were once privileged to live in. But you can no longer blame the Alliance for your current situation – the one who chose to take the path of a thug was yourself. It is you who is responsible." Dagger explained as he finished off the last of the resistance.

"To hell with you, to hell with the Alliance and to hell with Marina Ismail! SHE WILL LEAD THIS COUNTRY TO DESTRUCTION!"

The LaGOWE ignited its beam fangs and began running towards the Zaku Kais and Black GINNs. Suddenly, the Red CGUE sword landed between the Zakus and the LaGOWE. But the rebel leader had become a madman; not even the presence of a machine that clearly belonged to an ace could stop him.

"Admiral Thanos, what are your orders?" Alistair asked.

"Kill him." Dagger said simply.

Alistair nodded his head as he drew a beam sabre. The LaGOWE lurched towards the CGUE and with one swing of his arm, Alistair slashed the LaGOWE in half. As soon as the two ends of the LaGOWE touched the ground, cheering erupted throughout the battlefield. Thanos and his faction now had a place where they could set up a base. Michelle and the contingent of forces in space would build the Kyusai station, named after the last alias Dagger's adopted son had used. Dagger lowered his head, recalling his bitter final memories of Akushi.

"God, I hate getting used to gravity, it makes me realise how much weight I need to lose." Cairo moaned as he climbed out of his cockpit.

"I don't mind it, you're not _that _fat." Lain grinned as she climbed out of her own machine.

Marcus shook his head, already flipping over a page in his book. Alistair climbed out of his CGUE and walked over to Cairo and Lain.

"Well done out there Blitzkrieg, you've been leading the ground forces well. Play your cards right and Dagger might put you in charge of your own unit." Cairo declared, chuckling as he patted Alistair's back.

"Um, thank you sir." Alistair said.

Lain blinked and tilted her head, recognising the young man's voice. She widened her eyes as he slipped off his helmet, revealing a mess of dark blue hair and green eyes. There was a moment's pause as the man's appearance sank in. Marcus sighed and Cairo closed his eyes, they knew Lain wouldn't be able to resist pointing out the obvious.

"You look like…"

* * *

"ATHRUN ZALA!"

There were four things Athrun wasn't expecting. One was a Lacus Clyne impersonator whom he was pretty sure had a crush on him. Second was being offered a Gundam and a position back in the ZAFT military. The third and biggest shock was the unexpected arrival of Gekido Jaeger. But something else that well and truly surprised him came during a reunion with Yzak. He certainly wasn't expecting to be punched across the face.

"You bastard, what the hell were you doing at Junius Seven?" Yzak demanded, rubbing his knuckles.

Athrun could only smile apologetically. "I tried to help. It's good to see you two, by the way. I knew I should have visited more often."

"It's good to see you too, Athrun. So…what should we do?" Dearka asked.

"And if you say 'go shopping', I'll kill you." Yzak growled.

Athrun chuckled. On the surface, his old teammates were just as he remembered them. But they had all changed, grown into men and gained an awareness of the world they hadn't had previously. The war had forced them to grow and understand the system they worked in. Yet Athrun always felt that his two friends were better than him. In spite of knowing the true nature of ZAFT, they still remained in active service. They worked on the inside of the military to try and change it for the better.

"I was thinking of visiting the others." Athrun said solemnly.

Yzak and Dearka both nodded their heads. Tragically, the other members of the Le Creuscet team hadn't survived the war. They had been together since the academy, with Miguel like a mentor to his younger fellow pilots. Nicole and Rusty's graves had been treated well and Athrun knew that Yzak and Dearka visited often. Fresh flowers had been left at Miguel's grave, no doubt by his mother and brother. In fact, a large majority of the graves had been well kept… with the exception of one that had been riddled with graffiti and scratches.

Athrun frowned. "People still don't know what Akushi really did?"

"Do we call him Akushi or Kyusai? His names get really confusing." Dearka sighed.

"It doesn't matter. He sacrificed all of his bonds to learn the truth…but it still didn't make a difference." Athrun stated.

"That's why we joined the military, Athrun – we want to make a difference. You should come back to ZAFT and try to do the same." Yzak asserted.

Athrun lowered his head, looking down at Nicol and Miguel's graves. Nicol fought to make a difference to all of the PLANTs, while Miguel fought to change the life of his little brother. Both had equally noble reasons to fight. Athrun had fought to protect and left when it was clear that he was no longer protecting anything. But now he had been given the opportunity to fight again. This time… he would get it right.

* * *

ZAFT patrols throughout space were on a minimum alert. After the devastating counterattack by Gekido and Casvall the Earth Alliance began to rethink their attack strategies. This gave ZAFT and Sensou forces the opportunity to rest. Noah Bagal sat lazily at his captain chair, looking out at the remains of Earth Alliance mobile suits.

"All of this damage was done by a guy in a Zaku… ha, he really is deserving of the red!" Ruther laughed.

"True, only exceptional pilots should receive the colour red." Linda reflected, surprising most of her teammates with her opinion.

"They're practically _giving_ the red coat out at academy nowadays, exams aren't half as hard as they used to be!" Noah complained.

Alan cleared his throat, trying to gain their attention. "Commander, about this alliance with Sensou… I wanted to know, what is your opinion of it?"

"You've obviously got something on your mind, old man. You want to know what I think? Having Sensou on our side improves the odds of winning, but the EA is going to do something to compensate." Noah explained.

"Meaning that the Earth Alliance will reach out to outside parties like mercenary companies. Maybe even former Uragiri pilots." Shadi theorized.

"Not all of the Uragiri pilots were killed – some disappeared, but others went back to leading normal lives as most soldiers do." Sochiro added.

"You know, it would have been easier if we'd killed them. You could have just given me five minutes alone with each of them and I'd have been done in a week." Ruther burst into laughter.

Sochiro slapped his brother across the back of the head. Noah sighed, shaking his head at Ruther's bloodthirsty nature. When he'd heard about what Vincent had done a year ago he'd laughed, as if he'd been told an entertaining joke. And although the other pilots (even Shadi, who had every right to damn Vincent), believed in the necessity of his actions, there were still those who, to that very day, disagreed

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Alan asked.

"Old man, just say what's on your mind." Noah huffed.

"I look out there and I see the kind of damage that a weapon like a Cyclops system would do. Gekido Jaeger is an honourable man, yet his loyalties has always been to his own beliefs above all else. What happens if there comes a day when Durandal and Gekido's beliefs differ? And then there is this Casvall. He's undoubtedly an excellent pilot, but much of his background before his service in Sensou is unknown. The only people that knew anything about him are either confirmed dead or missing in action. Can a man like that truly be trusted? He may just be hiding his own agenda." Alan opined.

Noah thought for a moment about the point Alan had put across. Closing his eyes, he remembered the fighting style of the mute pilot. He considered Alan's words as well as the possibility of Casvall leading his own revolution. Finally, he smiled and chuckled at the idea. Alan fell off his chair, looking at Noah in shock.

"Can't you take anything seriously?" He cried.

"You know me, my friend. Nothing gets me down." Noah casually explained.

* * *

Back on Earth, the Minerva had just broken through the Atlantic Federation fleet. The crew of the battleship celebrated their victory, as well as the achievements of the Gundam pilots. Shinn had duly been surrounded by his fellow crewmembers.

"That was incredible Shinn, what happened?" Luna exclaimed.

"I don't know… Suddenly, my mind just felt really clear, and then I felt this burst of adrenaline." Shinn responded, just as confused.

"Must have been dumb luck." Joe muttered.

Branden and Kojiro climbed out of their machines and removed their helmets, nodding to one another. They had both witnessed what Shinn had just achieved and the sudden change in his performance had come as a surprise. But not to Silver Mask, the only one who didn't have anything to say about Shinn's actions. Even Rey gave Shinn a small nod of recognition. Kojiro and Branden walked up to Talia as she and Arthur walked onto the deck. Sheryl took the front, saluting the captain together with her collection of mechanics.

"Did Sensou only send us two pilots?" Arthur whined.

"Look bub, you're lucky you're being sent reinforcements at all and honestly, I'm all you need." Branden boasted.

"Branden, enough." Sheryl chided the young man.

"We deeply appreciate the help that Sensou is giving us. Thank you for coming to our aid." Talia said respectfully.

"It's no problem really, I'm just glad that my team and I will be in the middle of the war and not just sitting on the sidelines. Commander Rach thinks that the Minerva has an important role to play in the war; it's why he ordered us to come here. Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners! My name is Sheryl Mercis, Engineering Chief for Sensou." Sheryl explained.

Sheryl offered Talia her hand, which the Captain shook without hesitation.

"Once again, thank you, I'll have members of the crew escort you to your quarters." Talia said.

Silver Mask didn't waste time introducing himself. He walked over to the elevator and went to the crew deck. As he walked back to his quarters, the members of Sensou began introducing themselves to the Minerva crew. Nia approached Branden and Kojiro with hostile eyes.

"Hey, you two! Where the fuck is Vin- I mean Commander Rach?" She demanded.

Branden and Kojiro just looked at one another.

'Strange girl' they simultaneously thought.

* * *

Silver Mask closed the door shut behind him and locked it firmly. He removed his helmet, putting it on the table and taking a water container from the drawer. It was a process he repeated throughout the day. The mask was smooth, although wearing it for long periods of time made him feel stuffy. But he was slowly getting used to the mask, while showering and drinking water were simply things he did for survival. One day he was sure that the mask would feel like a part of his own body.

"Silver Mask sir, you have a communication channel waiting for you on the bridge." Meyrin's voice came over the intercom.

He'd modified his room's intercom to audio only. The last thing he needed was people getting a look at his face.

"I'll take the call soon, have Captain Gladys and Officers Trine and Mercis come up as well. My intuition tells me that they'll be interested in seeing this." Silver Mask explained.

He put on his mask and walked towards the door. Branden and Kojiro had changed into uniform and walked with their guides, Youlan and Vino.

"This is the cafeteria and down one floor we've got the gym. Your rooms also have computers for running simulations." Youlan said.

"Calculations on the probability of victory, I did that a few times for Sakon… but in the real world he beat me every time." Branden pointed out.

"I think the point Branden is trying to make is that actual mobile suit combat simulators would be more effective." Kojiro attempted to clarify.

"Oh, no, he beat me even when I used those." Branden lowered his head, thinking of the skill that the One Eyed Dragon had displayed.

Silver Mask walked onto the elevator, looking Branden and Kojiro in the eyes. He then turned his back to them as the door closed. Vino and Youlan looked at one another in confusion. Kojiro and Branden, however, regarded the masked man with a mix of confusion and suspicion.

"I apparently have a call waiting." Silver Mask said calmly as he walked onto the bridge.

Talia, Arthur and Sheryl stood either side of the briefing map. Meyrin relayed the caller through the bridge's main screen. The glow of the eye on Silver Mask's helmet faded. For a moment he squeezed his hand into a fist as he looked at the caller. Arthur widened his eyes while Sheryl and Talia regarded the caller cautiously.

"Paptimus Scirocco." Silver Mask growled.

"Silver Mask… I never thought I'd see you alive and well. Unless you're someone else behind that mask?" Scirocco asked, feigning innocence.

"And_ I_ never thought that my identity was any of your business."

"I am merely an observer, but this conflict may just be the best thing that has happened to Earth."

"How can you say something like that?" Sheryl exclaimed.

"Ah, Miss Mercis, with your resume you could have gotten a colony development job anywhere you wanted… why did you join Sensou, I wonder? Although considering what's going on with independent colonies now, you were probably right to have stayed on Earth." Scirocco drawled.

"Cut the pleasantries, why did you contact us?" Silver Mask probed.

"I wish to save the people of Earth from the corruption of their so-called "Alliance" and you'll find that Durandal has a similar goal. If our goals are so similar, then it makes no sense for us to fight, correct? Thus, I wish to join the Sensou and ZAFT alliance."

"Sorry, but you can't just say you're going to join, there's an application process." Silver Mask remarked dryly, crossing his arms.

"Your sarcasm is noted, but I have a proposition. Over the years I have collected a large amount of Intel on Earth Alliance activities, including what they're up to in Orb. I would willingly give you this information in exchange for an alliance." Scirocco responded.

"A good offer… but there's a string attached, right?" Sheryl asked.

"But of course. Silver Mask must be the one to pick up the data."

"Only one mobile suit? That's crazy!" Arthur cried.

Scirocco laughed while Talia frowned at her XO. She knew that Silver Mask was a survivor. Her concern was for her ship and crew, not the mysterious man her former lover put so much faith in.

"I am willing, but only if the Captain allows it." Silver Mask said.

"I will allow it, but the Minerva **will** remain a short distance away from the meeting point, on condition red, and with our weapons ready. Our mobile suits will also be ready to launch and we will retain contact with Carpentaria. That way, ZAFT brass will know of any betrayal on your account." Talia stated.

"Very well, my assistant Mr Londe will send you the coordinates of the pick-up point. Good luck, Captain. I look forward to our future cooperation with one another." Scirocco continued to smile as she cut the communication.

Instantly, Meyrin received a set of detailed coordinates that indicated where to meet. Scirocco was clearly counting on them saying yes as the pick up point was very close to the Minerva's position.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vincent stood in front of the Purpose Mark 2, looking up at the machine. The giant looked down at him, its eyes glowing curiously.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Vincent asked.

The mobile suit simply nodded its head.

"Can you talk back?"

This time the mobile suit was hesitant. It looked towards a small hill and began dragging its finger across the dirt. Vincent climbed into the cockpit of his ReZEL, giving himself a clear view of what had been written.

_"Linguistic speech cant do"_

Vincent rubbed his burn marks, clearly the Purpose was still learning. It was kneeling on the dirt, waiting for Vincent to respond.

"Do you know what you are?"

_"Purpose 2, got brothers but they still empty"_

"By "empty", you mean they haven't developed awareness yet, right?" Vincent inquired.

The Gundam nodded its head.

"So… you want to join me?"

Again the Gundam nodded its head, like a child answering a teacher.

"Why would you want to follow me?"

This time the Gundam paused, tapping its head as it thought. It pressed its finger to the ground and began dragging it across the dirt. Vincent watched the machine curiously as it wrote out a short message. The Gundam stood up and moved its hand into a thumbs up position.

"_I want to find something to protect"_

Vincent gazed at the machine in astonishment. Clearly, this machine was very unique amongst those with artificial intelligence. It wanted to learn, yet at the same time it wanted to find a goal in its "life".

"Very well, come with me Purpose and I'll take you to a place where you can find what you're searching for." Vincent said with a smile as he held his fist out.

The Gundam tilted its head as it considered Vincent's fist. For a moment it contemplated punching it. Instead, the machine just raised its finger, lightly tapping Vincent's hand. Vincent nodded his head and climbed into the ReZEL. Once the door was closed he cringed in pain, waving his hand around.

"That's the last time I do something like that!" He cried.

Vincent flew the ReZEL into the air, transforming it to wave rider mode. The Purpose followed behind it, switching to jet mode. Both aircraft began their respective flights back towards the Minerva, unaware of what was watching them. The cloaked machine hefted its rifle onto its shoulder before it flew away as well.

* * *

In the PLANTs, two significant things had just happened. The first was Flay signing Chairman Durandal's treaty. With her signature, Sensou and ZAFT were now officially allies and would share Intel, reinforcements along with mobile suit technology. Flay shook Durandal's hand while the journalists clapped around them. Though outwardly the girl was pleased, inwardly she kept close eyes on the Lacus Clyne impersonator. She made a mental note to gather evidence on her background; finding out her real name to start with. But she wouldn't let her dislike of Durandal's plan get in the way of Sensou and ZAFT working together. On a more positive note, the second significant thing happened to be Athrun finally deciding to take action. He now stood in a ZAFT red uniform, with Durandal giving him a medal designated to Faith members.

"I want you to go to the Minerva. I believe that they have an important role to play in this war, much like the Archangel before them." Durandal said, smiling kindly.

Athrun nodded his head while Flay put her hand to her chin. Why would Durandal make such a comparison? When Flay really thought about it, the Archangel was better known for it's betrayal of the Earth Alliance rather than what it had achieved in Africa and in space. Yet Meer could barely contain her delight as Athrun put his Faith badge on. She was really enjoying her new role.

"Chairman Alster, you can stay if you'd like. We could book a hotel room for you in an instant."

"I apologise Chairman, but I must get back to the Asgard. Good luck on Earth, Athrun" Flay graciously declined and saluted Athrun.

He saluted back, belatedly realising that the girl was mocking him. Flay and her secretary floated down the hallway.

"I want you to start researching the Lacus impersonator. Try to find if there are records of anyone capable of emulating her voice, and if any of them have had plastic surgery over the last year." Flay explained.

"Why ma'am?" Her secretary asked, puzzled.

"Because I need to know why Durandal wants a Lacus he can control. But speak of this to no one, alright? As far as the regular forces are concerned, Lacus Clyne is in the PLANTs doing good."

"But ma'am, our people – don't they have a right to know?"

"If they did know, it would distract them from the war. I want Sensou and ZAFT to be allies; I want our men to become friends. That way if, god forbid, we ever do leave ZAFT, there will be a chance that everyone will refuse to fight one another."

It was much harder for friends to fight. Athrun and Kira were proof of that struggle. But not every bond of friendship was as strong as theirs. Even now their friendship was shaky at best. Athrun prepped the Saviour for launch, wearing a purple version of the Ace ZAFT flight suit.

"Athrun Zala, Saviour launching!" He declared.

The Saviour activated its red Phase Shift armour and began flying up, out of the hanger bay. Flay looked out of her shuttle, watching the Saviour fly away. She hoped that Athrun knew what he was doing.

* * *

The Thanos Army had begun construction of its new headquarters, or rather, the upgrade the old rebel base with better equipment and defences. Michelle had also begun construction of a station in space. A small mining colony had offered its aid to Thanos, providing them with materials and even mobile suits. Michelle's Zaku Kai flew around the construction site of the Kyusai station. New mobile suits were loaded onto the ships. They were space mobile suits and prototypes exclusively for the special pilots that Thanos had liberated from the Jupiter Newtype lab. These red mobile suits were designated Geara Doga Psycommu System Test types, or Geara Psycho for short. Dagger had plans to build Geara Dogas as mass production units. But for now, these ten mobile suits would have to be exclusive to the special pilots.

"Ensign Quattro, send signal flares to the Hellhound and Reaper squadrons, signal them to alter their patrol course." Michelle ordered one of the soldiers.

The Zaku Kai pilot raised his bazooka, launching several flares away from the Kyusai station. These flares lit up with green light, signalling nearby ships to alter their patrol routes. Michelle's plan was simple if deceptive. It was a test for the special pilots as well as the Earth Alliance. If the Alliance moved to attack the base while civilian contractors were there, then the Thanos faction would have another reason to fight the Alliance. The battle would also be an opportunity to test the combat capabilities of not just the Psycommu system, but of the Newtype pilots as well.

* * *

Back on Earth, Lain was barbecuing burgers for the pilots in a tent. They lined up, taking the meat and water freely given to them by the people of Azadistan as repayment for ridding the region of its terrorist threat. Lain smiled and laughed as the 'tough' soldiers sniffed her cooking.

One of the pilots made a compliment. "Great job Lain! Damn, I wish you were still on kitchen duty permanently."

"The spices and vegetables came from a merchant in Azadistan, and I'm fine with being a pilot nowadays, thank you." Lain smiled.

Another pilot sighed quietly. "Still… it doesn't change the fact that people in ZAFT are living like kings while we're stuck eating in trenches."

Dagger stood in the small briefing tent that had been prepared. He was going over the faction's next move with Cairo, Marcus, Sanada and Krauss.

"I will begin a televised conference condemning the Earth Alliance for their actions, as well as exposing the activities of the Phantom Pain unit. The president will of course deny this, but this will not stop us from rallying people to our cause. We already have the support of the space colonies, at least those whom haven't fallen victim to these abductions." Dagger explained.

"What should we do about it?" Cairo asked.

"Nothing, for now. Sensou and ZAFT have already deployed investigation teams."

"I think we should begin an assault on ZAFT while they are still weak – you still have supporters within the PLANTs, sir." Sanada offered.

"No, our focus should be on gathering the support of the people." Krauss interjected.

"The people are a mob that is easily influenced. Even if we do expose the Alliance, there will be pests within the civilian population that refuse to see reason." Marcus said in response.

"How do we know that _you're_ not one of those people? You were born on Earth, know nothing of the hardships Coordinators and Spacenoids experien-"

"ENOUGH!" Dagger bellowed, interrupting his troops before they could start an argument. "Coordinator, Natural, Earthborn, Spacenoid, Newtype…these titles are merely excuses for us to hate one another. If we are incapable of changing that hate amongst the people then that is their choice, their liberty, but so long as all of you are a part of my army then you will abide by the rules and ideals you agreed to follow when you joined me! One person cannot change the world, but one person can change themselves and the life of someone closest to them. Change yourselves for the better, and then change the lives of your subordinates." The Admiral spoke with a passion befitting a leader, and an authority that a soldier required.

"Sir, our scouts have reported an incoming machine!" A soldier shouted, bursting into the tent.

"He's here." Dagger spoke lowly.

"Who, sir?" Marcus inquired, frowning in confusion.

"Our greatest ally."

Dagger walked out of the tent and through the crowds of soldiers gathered around the machine that had landed. It was a white mobile suit with blue armour and massive rockets on its shoulders. The mobile suit had a roman style helmet and a green visor. It opened its cockpit, revealing a man in full military uniform. The Thanos soldiers whispered amongst themselves, recognising Treize Khushrenada. He climbed out of his machine and walked towards Dagger. The two men looked one another in the eye and smiled as they shook hands. This was how the two men formed their alliances, not with paper but with promises.

* * *

The Minerva swiftly approached the coordinates sent by Scirocco. Silver Mask climbed into the Aero Gundam, while Rey, Nia and Joe remained on standby.

"So we're going into a potential trap because some prick from Jupiter says he wants to join us?" Nia asked, disgusted.

"Silver Mask seems confident it isn't a trap." Joe shrugged, keeping his face neutral. "Still… be on your guard."

"Silver Mask, Aero Gundam launching!"

The Aero Gundam flew out of the Minerva, transforming to mobile suit mode as it made its way to the island. Silver Mask gripped his controls tightly, checking both his radar and communicator. Suddenly, heat sources appeared on his radar. He flipped the Aero upwards, dodging a blast fired from the island.

"Fuck, I knew this was a trap!" Nia shouted.

"ALL HANDS GO TO CONDITION RED!" Talia commanded.

Branden and Kojiro put their pilot suits on and began running towards their own Gundams. Silver Mask flew the Aero downwards, keeping his eyes on the heat sources. Oddly, they appeared strikingly familiar to him. Talia and Arthur both looked at the machines approaching the Minerva with wide eyes. Meyrin looked at the mobile suit database, quickly identifying the group of mobile suits.

"Kratoses ma'am, we have Kratos mobile suits approaching us!" Meyrin said, panicked.

"How many and where are they approaching us from?" Talia demanded.

"Ma'am, I'm counting… thirty machines!" One of the crewmembers gasped.

"They're surrounding us Captain!" Arthur added.

"The battalions are breaking off and converging on Silver Mask's unit." Meyrin clarified.

Talia narrowed her eyes at the red machines as they approached the jet-like Gundam. However, Silver Mask only chuckled at the sudden change in situation.

"Scirocco, you ruthless bastard, there are better ways for you to confirm who I am but I suppose I can understand your reasons. If an amateur took the mask he wouldn't last seconds against a threat like this. But if it was the original or say, a professional ace who took the mask, then this threat would just be an annoyance to them! COME ON LOST SERVANTS OF URAGIRI! FACE ME AND DIE!" Silver Mask roared.

* * *

They were fast asleep, putting their future plans on hold to enjoy the temporary peace they still could. Lacus and Kira had finally decided to rise up and make the difference they knew they could. In the morning, they would prepare to go to the PLANTs. There, they seek an explanation from the Chairman and Gekido… or at least, that was what they intended to do. General Sin had other plans. He was the general of assassination; tonight, he and his men would dispose of the Ultimate Coordinator.

"All units, move in!" He ordered.

If things didn't go as planned then the assassins had mobile suits they could use to destroy the house. Unbeknownst to the assassins however, another mobile suit was on its way to the island. Its cloak flapped with the wind and its single eye glowed the colour of fire. His mission was simple – destroy those who dare to threaten his friends.

Next Chapter 20: Resurrected wings

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the update, one again credit goes to Nameunderconstruction for editing. next time we see the return of the Freedom and another legendary mobile suit, but whose the pilot?


	21. Resurrected Wings

Author's Notice: Greetings loyal fans, I regret to inform you all that my Gundam franchise will be cancelled

Just kidding lol, dont worry I'm still carrying on. I've had this chapter ready for a while now, but I havent updated because I had been waiting for my beta reader/editor Name Under Construction, unfortunately I am still unable to contact her and eagerly await the day she returns to the site. My beat-reader is now 00virtuezero, who has also helped me with OC's and ideas for future scenes.

I know its been a long wait and I'm sorry, I'm still updating my comic fics as part of my "comics season" but for now I thought I could check reader interest in the Gundam Seed rewrite series with this update. So please everyone review and tell me what you think of the chapter. In the future I might begin a Gundam Season with dedicated updates to my Gundam stories and even crossover one-shots. This chapter, a reinterpretation of Resurrected Wings is a game changing chapter that reveals the identity of Silver Mask...lol no it actually reveals who the mystery sniper gundam is, sorry Silver Mask fans you'll have to wait a while to find out who the new one is.

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Enjoy :)

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty?

Chapter 20: Resurrected Wings

One would think that a small army of special ops soldiers was a waste for an orphanage. But their targets were significant threats that had to be taken out. General Sin knew the stakes if he failed. The being that controlled him would put him through the worst pains imaginable; Lacus Clyne's sickening sympathy was nothing in comparison to the torture Sin expected from his master. He looked over the black ops soldiers, they were all coordinators and they had years of these kinds of missions. Failing was an impossibility. Sin loaded his pistol and drew his knife from his sheath. The black ops agents entered the house through their own path, intending to kill Lacus. Sin however would pursue his own target. The other Ultimate coordinator had to die.

The coordinator agents crept through the halls of the manor. They remained silent; all of the children were unaware of their presence. Murrue remained asleep, unbeknownst to the men sifting past her room. Men outside of the house checked over their rifles before moving towards the back entrance. They needed to cut off a potential escape route in case things did go to hell. Inside the house, one of the assassins entered Murrue's room. At the same time an assassin entered John's. He widened his eyes, seeing the bed empty but the window opened. A laser trailed over the assassin's head. The silenced shot dropped him to the floor without his comrades realizing. John climbed from the tree beside the house back into his bedroom, pulling the silencer off of his rifle.

'Soon, very soon,' Sin thought as he crept towards Kira's room.

"OI!"

Sin widened his eyes, turning to the back of the corridor. A red Haro was popping up and down, the Kanji symbol for Rage pasted onto his forehead.

"ASSHOLES IN THE HOUSE ASSHOLES IN THE HOUSE!" The Haro yelled, zipping down the corridor.

'SON OF A BITCH!' Sin screamed in his head.

Murrue threw her covers away, firing her pistol into the assassin's head. Andrew rushed out of his room, carrying a pistol and buttoning up his shirt. A Black ops agent rushed towards him, thrusting a knife forward. Andy blocked the blade with his prosthetic arm and pointed his gun at the assassin's head. But the agent grabbed Andy's arm, diverting the course of the gun. The gunshot echoed through the halls, distracting the agents long enough for Murrue and John to slip out of their rooms. Murrue rushed down the corridor, heading straight towards Lacus and the children.

"All right move in," An agent outside ordered his men.

"Not so fast."

The black ops agents stopped in their tracks. They had been surrounded by soldiers in brown and green armour, wearing helmets similar to flight suits. Inside, Murrue rushed into Lacus's room just as one of the assassins had his throat slit. Lacus watched in shock as the soldier dropped the assassin on the ground. All of the troops wore balaclavas, even the commander, whose eyes held vast experience. The soldier that had saved Lacus removed his helmet and pulled off his mask, revealing a brown haired boy no older than Kira, with cold emotionless eyes.

"Heero Yuy?" Lacus asked.

The boy turned around, nodding his head at Lacus. Sin cursed as two soldiers appeared before him, aiming their rifles at him.

"Damn it, my plan was perfect…DAMN IT I'M RUSTY! How could I forget? How could I not realise that Sensou would be watching too?" Sin cursed himself. "Sensou's secondary black ops group, the ECOAS unit."

Gunshots echoed outside of the house and the assassins engaged the ECOAS troops. One of the soldiers broke into a run, jumping at one of the assassins and kicking him in the chest. The assassin slammed against one of the rocks and was soon riddled with bullets. Then the soldier turned around, firing a full clip into two assassins. He watched two of his friends get gunned down and dived for cover. Heero opened the door to Lacus's room, regarding the children with cold indifference before switching on his radio.

"Target recovered," He said.

"Good, now let's get the fuck out of here," The red Haro said as it bounced around the corner.

"Mr Red no, we don't use language like that in front of the children," Lacus chided the Haro just as her Pink Haro and the Blue Haro Yamato bounced beside her.

"NO RUDENESS! NO RUDENESS!" Mr Pink screamed.

General Sin slammed his fist against the wall. Everything had gone to hell.

"Get down on the ground," One of the soldiers demanded.

'No, you can't fail…failure is an impossibility!' Sin thought.

He rushed forward, stabbing one of the soldiers in the neck. Then he sidestepped a shot from the other soldier, grabbing his head and neck. With a sharp twist, he broke the soldier's neck. The General's eyes were wide, his desperation reflected by his shining eyes.

"KIRA YAMATO!" Sin's scream echoed through the house as Kira ran with his mother and some of the children.

They met up with Lacus's group, taking cover as Murrue and Heero fired at the assassins.

"We're cut off from the exit," Heero spoke over the radio.

"There turned out to be more troops then we thought, some are wearing Uragiri outfits." The ECOAS leader said, ducking his head as a bullet flew past. "If there's a shelter get everyone you can into it and wait it out."

Heero nodded to Murrue, whom reloaded her pistol and laid down covering fire as Heero picked up Mr Red.

"Buy us some time," he ordered the little Haro.

"ROGER THAT!"

The Red Haro suddenly flew out of Heero's hand, slamming its head into one of the Assassins.

"DROP DEAD ASSHOLES!" It yelled.

The little Haro darted between the assassins, dodging their bullets and slamming into them. Heero grabbed Lacus by her hand and ran ahead of the group.

"Follow Heero," Kira said, pushing the children along.

"YAMATO!"

Kira turned around; Murrue widened her eyes in complete shock. General Sin had suddenly dashed past her, moving at a speed beyond human. His veins were throbbing as he pulled his arm back, thrusting his knife towards Kira's face. The assassin's movements were fast to the children and Murrue. But for Kira's enhanced reflexes, the man's speed was nothing. He grabbed Sin's wrist, twisting it back and tucking a foot behind the man's leg. Sin, realizing that Kira intended on pushing him to the ground quickly drew his second blade. Kira again blocked the blade, stopping Sin's hand with the knife inches from his eye.

"Kira," Caridad gasped in horror and concern.

Lacus slipped out of Heero's grip and looked in concern at Kira. The Ultimate Coordinator stood, holding both of Sin's arms. Much to everyone's shock, Kira did something that no one expected. He pulled his head back and slammed it straight into Sin's face, cracking the man's mask. Heero drew his pistol and coldly fired seven bullets past Kira's shoulder and into Sin's chest.

"NO!" Kira yelled.

"If you don't want to die then show them no mercy," Heero said.

"Good advice," Sin said.

Kira looked at Sin in shock and the children ran across the room. The General had seven holes in his chest, his blood pouring on the ground. His voice broke down, tears falling down his face as cracks ran across his mask. The mask shattered and the children immediately turned their faces away in horror.

"Oh my god," Kira and Lacus gasped at the same time.

"YOU SEE KIRA YAMATO! THIS IS WHY I HAVE TO KILL YOU!"

Kira pulled his fist back, slamming it into Sin's face.

"QUICKLY RUN!" Kira yelled.

The group ran as fast as they could, with Kira running behind them. Sin got up off the floor. His enhancements would enable him to stay alive for the whole night. The bullets wouldn't kill him, his master made sure of that. John joined up with the group, providing them with cover fire as Murrue entered the combination for the shelter.

"Where have you been?" Murrue asked.

"Getting supplies," John motioned to the bag he carried.

"THIS IS COFFEE!" Caridad yelled, pulling out a can of coffee beans. Murre just face palmed, honestly how could they just think about coffee at a time like this?

Andy ran round the corner, bullets flying behind him. He slid to a halt, firing the shotgun on his prosthetic arm.

"Finally got to use it eh?" John asked.

"Yep, told you it wasn't useless," Andy smirked.

"Well it still looks weird through."

Sin growled at the other assassins. They cowered, giving him another mask. His subordinates dared not say anything about his face, less they had the balls to feel his wrath! If they did, then they were sure as hell going to lose them!

"Leave them be, let them cower…get to your mobile suits and crush this hellhole to the ground, BURY THEM!" Sin's insane ranting was an order for the soldiers. The General squeezed his fists in frustration; this was REALLY not his night!

The group rushed into the shelter, locking the doors behind them. They were now deep underground, prepared to wait out the invasion. Lacus sat with the children in a huddle, comforting them. She tried to get their minds off of the image they had just seen. But Murrue knew that seeing what was hidden by General Sin's mask would haunt anyone. She would certainly get new nightmares. Kira leant against the wall, sitting down. He put his hands to his eyes, wiping them, his breathing heavy from the panic. That man's face was…was… unspeakably! Honestly, Kira felt like throwing up at the sight of it!

"What happened?" John asked.

"That man, he's a victim, he has to do this." Lacus said.

"We always have a choice," Heero said coldly. "You can either choose to die here feeling sorry for your enemy, or you can live…what's it going to be?"

John and Andy both looked at one another in confusion. Did Sensou know what they had been doing? Lacus left the children and walked towards Kira. Suddenly the ground shook and she stumbled forward. Kira immediately got up off the floor and caught Lacus.

"Thank you Kira," She said.

"Lacus, give me the keys," Kira said.

"Are you sure?" Lacus asked.

"If I let you die, Gekido would never forgive me."

Two years ago they were in the locker room, getting ready for the final battle. Gekido kept his back to Kira, putting his armour like suit on.

"Gekido, can you do me a favour?" Kira asked, looking at a picture of him and Flay.

"Shut up, you're not going to die in this battle. If anything it should be Flay asking for favours," Gekido said gruffly.

"Don't say that!" Kira snapped.

"Then protect them both," Gekido growled, slamming his locker shut.

"I'll protect Flay with my life."

"Good for you, take care of Lacus too, she's important."

"To you?"

Gekido shook his head, putting his helmet on. Kira could only see Gekido's eye, the helmet made Gekido look like a creature from outer space.

"She's important to the whole world, she's more important than you think," Gekido spoke softly.

"Is that why you fell in love?" Kira asked.

Gekido laughed, punching Kira in the arm. Kira rubbed his arm, taken aback by Gekido's attitude. The Cyber Psyche pilot floated towards the exit. He turned back, his eye narrowing at Kira.

"Protect her, do that favour for me," Gekido said. "Or I'll kick your ass."

When Kira thought back he realised that that was the last meaningful talk he had with Gekido. In the mist of battle they had flown past one another multiple times, but had never actually spoken. When the lights from the weapons faded, Kira floated onto the Eternal to see Lacus crying in her seat.

"Gekido," Lacus choked on her tears, curling up into a ball.

The bridge crew looked at their "captain" in a mix of shock and pity. Kira gasped as he saw a ring floating in front of Lacus. He'd seen her holding the ring, with the intention of giving it to Gekido. But Gekido had gotten onto a shuttle back to the Infernus, coldly ignoring Lacus.

'Damn you Gekido' Kira thought at the time that Gekido didn't care.

But then he realised that Gekido cared for everyone. He heard Gekido's yells and felt him cry as soldiers died around him. Coming back to the present, Kira looked Lacus in the eyes and nodded.

"I'm ready," he said solemnly. He would keep his promise to his friend no matter what.

Lacus nodded her head and picked up her pink Haro. The Haro opened, revealing a pair of keys. Murrue and Andy took the keys and walked over to a security door. They simultaneously twisted the keys and the heavy door slowly opened. The children gasped in awe as they looked upon something that filled them with hope. For a moment they ignored the explosions and shaking ground, overcome by the wonder of the two suits in front of them.

"I see, so you did rebuild them," Heero said.

"Flay knew about it, we ran the ideas through her first," Kira said.

Standing side by side were two Gundams. The Freedom had been fully repaired and Kira had every intention of piloting it. Not only to protect Lacus but to get Orb out of this war. Beside the Freedom was a Gundam with a different type of armour. It was the secret First Gundam. The Gundanium armour had been fully repaired, it was a long and arduous task and the labour didn't come cheaply. Kira gazed at the Gundam's blue and white armour in awe before walking towards the Freedom. He ran through the Freedom's activation process. The Gundam's armour changed from grey to the assortment of white and black colours.

"Hopefully the kid isn't rusty," John chuckled.

Ash mobile suits continued to bombard the manor with beams and missiles. Sin watched the suits work, piloting his own mobile suit. This was what he should have done, challenged Kira Yamato. The other Black Ops agents didn't have the motivation he had. When the Freedom burst out of the hatch in the ground, the agents were overcome by shock.

"It's the Freedom!" one the assassins screamed.

"NO SHIT! KILL HIM YOU IDIOTS!" Sin yelled.

The Ash mobile suits launched a barrage of missiles towards the Freedom. Kira's eyes darted across his screen as he bought up the Freedom's targeting computer. He locked on to every missile and engaged his mobile suit's HiMat system. The Freedom retracted its collection of weapons and let loose an arc of beams. Yellow and blue beams intercepted the missiles, shooting every one of them out of the sky. Kira then flew the Gundam forward, firing his beam rifle. The Ash mobile suits began to run across the rock, trying to dodge the beams. One was shot in the arm, then the leg. It fell to the ground, disabled by the Freedom. Kira wouldn't kill, he wouldn't allow others to kill and more importantly he would keep these men alive to find answers. Two Ash's fired their beam cannons at Kira, but he swooped downwards and drew his beam sabre. With precise skill and targeting he sliced off the Ash's weapons and then cut off their legs.

"We're trying to kill you Kira Yamato, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN SAVE US ALL! YOU NAÏVE FOOL!" Sin yelled.

Kira turned around, bringing his shield up to block a beam sabre. It took five seconds to analyze his opponent. The mobile suit was a steel color with clawed fingertips. Its head had a small V-Fin Antenna and two glowing red eyes. But the head had no helmet or mouth, meaning that the suit wasn't a Gundam. The body was a simple design, but the left arm had a bigger shoulder guard than the other and a giant Shuriken was attached to the mobile suit's back. Sin yelled as he swung his red beam sabre. Kira again blocked the strike with his shield and flipped backwards, dodging the thrust of two Ashes.

"God damn you, shoot him before he can retract his guns," Sin ordered.

The Freedom landed in front of the Ash's, drawing a second beam sabre. Kira slashed off the mobile suits arms and then kicked them to the ground. Sin flew his mobile suit forward, the Shuriken on his back spinning. Blue particles flew behind his mobile suit as he put more power into his strikes. He slammed his sabre into the Freedom's blades, knocking the mobile suit back slightly.

"I won't lose to someone like you," Sin growled.

The mobile suit brought out its second beam sabre out, then thrust forward straight into the Freedom chest. However the Freedom uses its sabers to push the first sabre then barely dodging the second; not even gazing the Gundam's chest. Kira then kicked Sin in the chest pushing the General back. The machine went flying back until it came to stop only a few inches away from the Freedom.

"Someone like me? What do you mean?" Kira asked.

"What the hell do you even do for a living? Sit around all day? Bunk with Lacus Clyne? WHAT DO YOU DO YOU WASTE OF LAB MATERIAL!" Sin yelled.

Sin grunted in fury as he continually slammed his sabre against the Freedom. Kira blocked a strike and flew his Gundam backwards. He fired his shoulder cannons. But Sin's beam sabre suddenly bent around, intercepting the beams. Kira looked at the sabre in shock as it extended, going loose like a whip. The second beam sabre in the mobile suits right mirrored its twin by bending into the same shape as a whip. Sin cracked his beam whips, taking off chunks of the ground before flying forward. He swung his whip at the Freedom, which sidestepped the blow. Sin however took advantage of the Freedom sidestep and swung his right whip around toward the Gundam. Kira pulled the Freedom upwards, dodging the whip, but immediately his alarms went off inside his cockpit. Kira quickly looked to see two beams flying at him from the side. Kira grunted slightly as the beams caused the Freedom to rock a bit. Thanks to the Freedom's Phase Shift Armor a minimal amount of damage was done on his machine. Kira narrowed his eyes at the two Ashes as they were firing barrages of missiles and beams towards him. He targeted the mobile suits, but two beams suddenly flew into the sides of the mobile suits.

"Where did those come from?" Kira wondered.

"DON'T TURN YOUR BACK TO ME!" Sin yelled.

The left beam whip slammed into the Freedom's right leg, wrapping its self around the lower ankle.

'Shit!' Kira cursed in his thoughts. Sin however smirked beneath his mask. He had him know!

"GET OVER HERE!" The General screamed as he used his left beam whip to pull Kira down, with his right beam sabre ready for the kill. However the Freedom brought out its railguns and then quickly fired on its own ensnared right ankle. Yellow beams slammed on the ankle and the beam whip that covered it. With a small explosion, the beam whip lost its grip on the ankle. Sin cursed in surprise, then quickly swung his right whip at Freedom, however Kira summersaulted causing the whip miss him by an inch.

Kira quickly brought his beam sabres back up; crossing the two blades in defensive position. The 18 year old quickly checked to see what the damage was on the Freedom's right ankle. The damage by the beam whip covering around the ankle caused some the armor to melt even with PS armor, also due to him fireing his railguns on his ankle, caused a gash that reveled some the Freedom's metal skeletal structure. Overall it was not serious damage, but still he needed to be more cautious about those whips. Kira gripped on the controls hard as Sin began spin his whips around. With each swing the whips became faster, almost to beginning to look like moving circles.

"I don't want to fight you."

"WELL TOO BAD I WANT TO KILL YOU SO BADLY! I HAVE TO KILL YOU!" Sin screamed.

He flew upwards, clashing his right whip with the Freedom's sabres. Sparks started to fly as the beams collided.

"Please just stop, let me help you," Kira begged the assassin.

Sin however raised his left whip and swung it down the sabers joining the right in the power crossing.

"CAN'T HELP ME! DON'T WANT HELP! NOW SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!"

The sparks began to increase more as both machines tried to push each other back. Neither one was willing to give in.

"I want to help, we can save you."

"YOU CAN'T GIVE ME WHAT I NEED! JUST DIE!"

Sin slammed his mobile suits head into the Freedoms; this caused the Freedom to be pushed back by 3 feet. He screamed as he swung his left whip around, missing the Freedom by inches. Kira moved the Freedom forward, causing Sin to switch his right whip back to blade mode. He blocked Kira's left hand strike, and then flipped backwards to avoid Kira's right sabre. Sin quickly changed his left whip into blade mode as well, then thrusted it forward to stab the Gundam in the chest. The Freedom side stepped the blade, but this did cause a slight cut on its shoulder.

"Everyone wants to live through the fighting, why would you bring the fight to the people who don't want to fight?" Kira asked.

The two machines just stared at each other as they floated in the air.

"Enough talk, just do what you have to do," Sin said.

"I don't have to kill you, we don't have to fight, whatever's wrong with you we can help."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP!"

Sin let out a roar, throwing his left arm forward. Kira suddenly swerved to the right, flying around Sin. He dragged his sabre across the mobile suit's back, cutting off the Shuriken shaped booster. Sin swung his sabre around, but Kira slashed the mobile suit's left arm off. Then he delivered a swift kick to the mobile suit's head, sending it falling to the ground. But as the mobile suit fell it turned around and threw its right beam sabre at the Freedom, however the winged machine blocked it with its left beam sabre knocking it into the sea. Kira landed on the beach just as the Ash mobile suits began to explode. Their mission was a failure, so to avoid capture they self-detonated their suits.

"Kira is everything all right?" John asked over the radio.

"It's all clear," Kira said.

"Good, we can make our way up then?" Murrue asked.

"The areas clear from my side," The Sensou soldier said as he stepped out of the trees.

General Sin let out a few deep breaths. The impact of his suit hitting the ground had broken his ribs and was even starting to crack his mask. He looked up at the back of the Freedom, his eyes wide with insanity. When his mask finally shattered he let out all of his anger. His roar echoed through the radio channels, an inhuman roar that actually shocked Kira. The Freedom turned around, coming face to face with General Sin's mobile suit. Its left arm was twisted back, the claws inhumanly long. The suit's head opened its mouth plate as if it was a jaw and let out a screech that shook the ground.

"I WONT DIE YET!" Sin yelled. He would kill Kira Yamato! He would not fail! This was his mission! He would not fail!

Suddenly a beam flew through the side of the mobile suit's cockpit. Kira widened his eyes before the monstrous mobile suit exploded, throwing him backwards. Suddenly flash of small white light appeared on his forehead and he started to feel pressure.

'**I…I failed!' **General Sin's last thoughts before the explosion consumed him.

Kira rubbed his head in pain as the man's life was put to an end.

"Kira are you all right?" Lacus asked.

"I'm fine but, they're all dead," Kira said.

He looked towards where the beam came from and gasped. A mobile suit stood by what was left of the house. A cloak was draped over its thick shoulders. The mobile suit had a bulky chest area and two rockets on its back. Its armour was a black colour and only one of its eyes was glowing. The other eye was barely repaired and even had bits of circuitry showing. It threw off the cloak, revealing its grey armour.

"It couldn't be," Kira gasped images of a mobile suit and its fiery pilot flashed before his eyes.

Lacus and the others looked at the mobile suit through the security camera. Their eyes were wide in shock, seeing a mobile suit that had been with them since Heliopolis. Lacus had tried to recover what was left of the Nenshou Kokoro, but Sensou had confiscated what was left of the machine. Then she tried to recover the Purpose, but again the remains had disappeared. Now she knew why, the Purpose was standing right on top of where the house once was.

"The Purpose, the first mobile suit of Gekido Jaeger, but who's piloting it?" The Sensou soldier wondered.

The Purpose turned to the Freedom, its single eye giving off a red light.

* * *

Construction of Dagger Thanos's main desert fortress would soon be complete. But just as the finishes touches were made to the positron cannon, Dagger told his men that he would be leaving. The Admiral stood on a box, addressing the pilots and soldiers under his command.

"Brave men and women under my command. I thank you for the support you have given me over the past year, I urge you to continue that support and remain strong. This is just the first stage of our campaign against the Earth forces and ZAFT. I know that some of you have been hesitant as of late, you're afraid of facing against a force with much greater resources. I share your skepticism, how can we win when they outnumber us a thousand to one? But then I throw that belief and trust each and every one of you to complete the tasks I have given them in a plan that guarantees us victory. We are not righteous, but we will be the ones that claim victory," The Speech inspired the soldiers enough for them to cheer.

Marcus suppressed a smirk at his friend's ability to inspire. He was no Lacus Clyne, if anything he commanded more respect than Lacus Clyne. His eyes saw the reality of the world and he had experienced much darker aspects of war and politics than Clyne ever would.

That's what they had! A leader who was experienced and realistic about the world.

"Hey Marcus, did you hear about Dagger's plan for ZAFT?" Lain asked.

"He'll propose negotiations to ZAFT and Sensou," Marcus said.

"I hope they consider joining us, everyone in the Plants has been talking about Durandal as if he's a good man."

"Don't be eager to meet them, they may become our enemies. Plus Sensou has done things that could potentially lead to their downfall. Such as the reformation of the Extended pilots," Marcus explained.

"But redemption is something everyone should have right?" Lain asked.

"If you say no Marcus, try to consider the fact that if the Commander's son survived the last war he would have hung quicker than the Extended were," Alistair said.

Lain lowered her head, remembering that Dagger had had an adopted son. The boy had gone through many aliases in his attempt to uncover the truth about Patrick Zala. But in the end he died thinking that his father hated him. Lain kept it to herself but she often spotted Dagger gazing at the photo he had kept of his son. She understood what it was like to lose family. But at least she still had her sister and Dagger was close enough to his men to consider them family. Lain walked over to Dagger's tent and checked the meeting he was having with Treize. The two men were practically whispering before turning to Lain.

"Excuse me sir, the tech experts tell me that the cameras are nearly ready to broadcast," Lain said nervously.

"Thank you Lain, and thank you Treize," Dagger said.

"It's no problem, I'm sure I can trust this data to you," Treize said.

Lain raised her eyebrows, watching as Treize handed Dagger a slip of paper. She saw the outline of what looked like a mobile suit.

"Lain, after you've escorted the Colonel back to his transport I want you to give this to the engineering division. I want them to begin production of that machine straight away." Dagger said.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Nia took a few deep breaths as her Zaku was prepped for launch. She'd read the reports about the fanatical pilots of the Uragiri faction. But she'd also read that Uragiri's mobile suit had been blown to bits by ZAFT gunfire. Now it seemed some of Uragiri's pilots still remained and were still fanatically loyal, even to a dead woman's clichéd dream of world domination. Joe's Efreet Nacht was launched first, followed by the Sensou Gundams. The Kenshin immediately jumped on its flight platform as it launched out of the Minerva's catapult, with Murasama Rogue following whose rockets immediately ignited causing the demonic machine to fly into the sky.

"Hey Kojiro, you surprised that there are still some of this Uragiri idiots still around?" Branden asked.

"Honestly, no not really, after all since Uragiri died her followers most likely had no where to turn to. They are probably just looking for an excuse now." Kojiro calmly stated as he brought out his spear.

Branden merely snorted and narrowed his eyes at the Kratos battalion. "Well personally I think these idiots are pathetic. Anyone who even fell for that bitch is just a weakling!"

The Rogue brought out its three bladed gauntlets ready to tear through these lost servants of a deceased mad woman. However this battle needed more than just Gundams. This was a battle that required Minerva's whole mobile suit force.

"I never thought we'd be fighting numbers this great so soon after Orb," Luna said, sliding down her helmets faceplate. A Gunner Pack was attached to the Red Zaku Warrior as it moved to the catapult.

"We don't pick our battles we just fight," Rey said. The Blaze Pack slammed onto the White ZAKU as Rey checked his ammo.

Nia nodded, understanding Rey's point even if he was a bit cold. Outside, the Aero Gundam flew across the sky, easily dodging blasts fired by the Kratos's. Silver Mask raised his head, feeling an odd sensation in his head. He shot a Kratos down and smiled beneath his mask.

"I knew they'd get involved, well done Purpose," Silver Mask chuckled.

* * *

In Orb, Kira carefully climbed out of his machine. He looked up at the Gundam, which oddly looked straight down at him.

"Gekido is that you in there?" Kira asked.

The Purpose slowly kneeled down, bringing its head close towards Kira. Its red eye glowed as it looked at the Ultimate Coordinator.

"I am not Gekido, nor am I any other pilot you know," A cold voice boomed out of the Purpose's speakers. "However we have met and fought together in the past."

"Where did we first meet?" Lacus asked as she and Murrue approached the machine.

"You Lacus Clyne met me when you came to the Archangel, Ramias and Kira Yamato first met me at Heliopolis. However that was a time when I was less than chatty!"

"It can't be," Murrue whispered.

"It is" Lacus said.

_The light left Yamato's eyes and Gekido held his fathers body tightly. Lacus hugged Gekido, knowing that he was doing everything to hold back the tears. Gekido stood up, giving Yamato's body one final look before he turned his head to the Purpose. He was ready to walk towards the machine, but today just wasn't hit day. A beam flew into the Gundam's chest, blowing a hole in the cockpit and melting all the controls. Gekido grabbed Lacus as the machine slammed into the ground. Lacus and Gekido rolled to the side, looking down the corridor. Their eyes widened as they saw Taithan's bulky Gundam, throwing its rifle aside and drawing its sword._

_"Poor Gekido lost the daddy he always wanted and now you've lost your sword…and in a few seconds, you'd have lost both your life and the life of your lover" Taithan laughed as the Gundam flew forward._

_Gekido knew at this point that it was pointless to try getting away. He merely looked into Lacus's eyes as Taithan raised his sword._

_"HA HA HA HAA! DIIIIIE!" Taithan yelled as he swung the sword downwards._

_Gekido waited for the blade to rip through his chest, but it never came. He and Lacus opened their eyes and looked up in shock._

_"Impossible" Taithan whispered in pure shock._

_The Purpose leant on its knee, holding the tip of Taithan's sword with its left hand. It shoved the Bulky Gundam back, stepping in front of Lacus and Gekido. The Purpose turned its head, is glowing red eyes piercing Lacus and Gekido's hearts. _

"I'm right in saying that you don't have a pilot right?" Lacus asked.

The Purpose stood up and shook its head. Kira overcame his initial shock and smiled at the Gundam.

"It's good to see you again, my first comrades," The Sentient Purpose would have flashed his own smile if he could.

His mission was complete; his first friends were safe.

Next Chapter 21: Deadly remnants

* * *

Hope everyone liked the chapter, next time we take a break from the Archangel crew and return to the Minerva


	22. Deadly remnants

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Here I am with another update, this time focusing on the Minerva crew and Sensou. Editing credit goes to 00virtuezero again

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 21: Deadly remnants

The Aero Gundam was like a blur to the Kratos pilots as it flew between each mobile suit. Silver Mask smiled as he flipped the mobile suit, dodging beams and missiles fired by the mobile suits. The Minerva launched a volley of missiles, forcing the Kratos mobile suits to manoeuvre across the sky. Branden and Kojiro simultaneously slid their faceplates down as their Gundams were loaded onto the catapults.

"Branden Kamal, Murasama Rogue launching!"

"Kojiro Sasaki, Kenshin Launching!"

Both Gundams slid out of the Minerva, jumping off the catapult and igniting their rockets. The Kenshin jumped onto a Sensou atmospheric flight platform, spinning its Naginata around as the Murasama ignited its rockets. Branden targeted the Kratos's and brandished his Gundam's war claws.

"Thirty mobile suits, beginning elimination of targets," Kojiro said emotionlessly.

"LETS GO!" Branden roared.

The Murasama dived towards two Kratos's, slamming its claws into their sabres. Kojiro swung his spear around, slicing off a Kratos's arm. But the Kratos continued to fire its beam submachine gun. The Kenshin span its spear between its fingers, blocking the volley of beams. Silver Mask darted past Kojiro and drew his beam trident. He threw the trident into one of the Kratos's, destroying its body and taking its escape pod with it. Silver Mask then swung his legs around, kicking two Kratos's across their heads.

"All right boys and girls lets not let the Sensou pilots get too comfy!" Joe said.

His Efreet Nacht flew off of the ship, landing on one of the nearby islands. He drew his beam katana, holding it ready as three Kratos's broke off from the main group. Luna raised her beam cannon, firing a blast straight towards the trio. But the group easily dodged the blast and one of the Kratos's broke off. It dodged Rey and Nia's beam shots, aiming its rifle at Luna. Lunamaria fired her beam cannon, but the Kratos raised its shoulder, opening the armour to reveal an arc generator. He activated the arc's shield, blocking the beam.

"These things have been upgraded," Meyrin noted.

"Fire Tristans and Isoldes, Nia, support the CIW's with your Slash pack's guns!" Talia ordered.

Nia drew out her Gatling guns and began firing at the Kratos. The single Kratos easily dodged the flurry of bullets and blasts the Minerva fired at it. Joe raised his katana, beckoning for the Kratos's to attack him. One of the Kratos's flew towards him, floating off the floor and drawing its beam sabre. Joe slammed his katana onto the Kratos's sabre and jumped backwards as the other Kratos fired the missiles on its hip. A missile slammed into the Efreet, but its tough armour protected it from crippling damage. Joe in return sliced off the close range Kratos's hand. But the Kratos swung its leg round; the Efreet raised its arm and blocked the Kratos's kick. Silver Mask drew his beam sword and slammed it into a Kratos's sabre. He yelled as he swung the sword again, splitting the Kratos's head in half. With the pilot dead, Silver Mask kicked the lifeless suit towards the ocean.

"Impulse you are clear for launch," Meyrin said.

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendour launching!"

The core splendour flew out of the Minerva, followed by the Impulse's parts and Blast silhouette. The pieces of the Gundam slammed together as it activated its phase shift armour. Shinn targeted two of the Kratos's, firing his missiles as they attacked Kojiro. Branden repeatedly slammed his swords into a Kratos's sabres. He flipped backwards as a Kratos attacked him from behind.

"Damn, these guys are good," Shinn, said as he fired Kerberos beam canon blasts at the Kratos's. However the Kratos scattered apart to dodge the plasma blast.

Kojiro stabbed his spear into the Kratos's head, killing the pilot. Then he threw the mobile suit into another Kratos. The Kratos sliced its comrade in half and grinded its sabre against Kojiro's spear. Shinn flew backwards, avoiding a series of shots fired by four Kratos's. He folded out his beam cannons and shot down the Kratos missiles. The Impulse fired its rail guns, hitting a Kratos in the shoulder. But the Kratos wasn't done yet, it charged straight towards the Impulse, grabbing its head. Shinn fired his chest CIWS, spraying the Kratos's chest with bullets. Then Shinn slammed his shield into the Kratos's head, knocking the mobile suit back.

"You people are only good because of your numbers!" Branden growled.

The Murasama swung its claws around, but the Kratos it targeted flipped backwards. Then, the Kratos fired its hip missiles, throwing the Murasama back. Ten Kratos's flew around the Minerva, firing their submachine guns, bombarding the ship with red beams. Nia blocked a blast with her shield and fired back with her Gatling guns. Rey fired his beam rifle, hitting a Kratos straight in the head.

"Remember the reports on the Kratos's, the cockpits are located in the head," Rey said.

"I know that!" Nia snapped.

Joe pulled his sword up, blocking a midair strike from a Kratos. The Kratos pushed against the Efreet's sabre, sliding the mobile suit across the dirt. Joe pushed the Kratos back, the mobile suit rolled into a few trees before flying upwards. Silver Mask fired his Vulcan's, flying around one of the Kratos's. The Minerva fired a volley of missiles, which the Kratos's shot down. A Kratos dragged its sabre across the side of the Minerva, but was promptly shot by Luna.

"They're just throwing themselves at us, where's the sense in their strategy?" Luna asked.

"No one said that these guys have to make sense, they were loyal to a madwoman after all." Joe said.

Branden stabbed his claws into a Kratos's head. Then he ripped the mobile suit apart. But that didn't scare the other pilots. A Kratos unit wrapped its arms around the Murasama, holding it in place as the other Kratos's fired their missiles. Rey fired his missiles, forcing a Kratos to fire its Vulcan's. The Zaku Phantom then fired a rifle shot, hitting the Kratos clear in the face. Rey reloaded his rifle firing it at another Kratos. The Kratos drew its beam sabre and dived straight towards the Minerva. Missiles slammed into its chest, ripping of shreds of its armour. Nia fired her own Gatling gun's, clipping the Kratos's head. The pilot yelled as he increased speed. Luna fired her beam cannon and Rey his rifle. The beams slammed into the Kratos, reducing it to a flaming wreck that slammed into the front of the Minerva.

"Could have done with a brace for impact warning!" Sheryl growled as the ship shook.

Silver Mask fired his rail rifle, hitting a Kratos in the head. He then used the rifle to block a Kratos's beam sabre.

"Do you people even have a plan? Or are you just planning on dying here?" The masked man asked his enemy.

"We gave our lives for Uragiri, she promised us a Utopia. Why? Why didn't anyone accept her vision, WAS ZALA'S OR CLYNE'S ANYMORE APPEALING!" The enemy pilot yelled.

He drew another beam sabre and swung at the Aero. Silver Mask flipped his Gundam back and fired his rail rifle in an arc. The beam cut the Kratos and a unit beside it in half. Silver Mask watched the mobile suit drop its sabres and reach for its partner. The two mobile suits's grabbed one another's hands before they exploded, taking the heads with them. Silver Mask looked around him, his single eye glowing. Everything was quiet, the whole world moved slowly for him. Kratos's attacked the Minerva, taking missiles and bullets to get a shot at the ship. Branden stabbed the Kratos holding him and drew his assault swords. He mercilessly cut the other two Kratos's in half, just as Luna shot another in the chest. Joe cut a Kratos's arm off and jumped backwards, avoiding a volley of missiles. Talia yelled orders across the radio, but they were all a blur to the masked man.

"FOR THE LEGACY OF URAGIRI!" A Kratos pilot yelled.

Kojiro clipped his spear to his back and drew his swords. He blocked the Kratos's sabre strike, and then crossed his swords together, slicing off the Kratos's arm. The pilot of the renegade machine yelled, trying to draw his other sabre. But Kojiro plunged his sword into the Kratos's head, and then pulled out a blade stained by blood.

"WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE FIGHTING SO HARD? WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR!" Shinn yelled, blocking a Kratos's sabre.

Silver Mask gripped his control stick tightly, letting out a sigh before his mobile suit fell to the water. The splash caught Shinn's attention, before he fired his cannon's and blew the legs off of the Kratos attacking him. Shinn looked down at the water, seeing the Aero's glowing eye.

"What the fuck happened to Silver Mask?" Nia asked.

"Forget about him we can do this on our own," Branden growled as he slashed off a Kratos's arm, and then blocked a volley of missiles.

"Silver Mask do you read? Silver Mask respond," Meyrin tried to reach the masked man over the radio.

He pressed a button on his console, disabling his radio. His hands reached for his helmet, pulling it away from his face. The man let out a sigh, looking at the lights of the battle on the surface of the water. He let the mobile suit sink, tutting at the actions of men with no one left to follow.

* * *

Flay sat beside Sai, reading the report sent by the ECOAS unit. An assassination squad had tried to kill her boyfriend. That immediately gave her and excuse to pack up and leave Sensou. But she knew she had responsibilities. Sai could tell from her expression that she was conflicted. Either she stayed to help Sensou or she went to Kira's side. If she were to leave, many would feel that their leader had abandoned them. Yet if she stayed, Kira would inevitably understand.

"Heero's left something out hasn't he?" Sai asked.

"I've got a feeling he did, Lieutenant Dagu said he was one of the toughest agent's to control," Flay said.

"I thought calling Daguza Dagu was a privilege only Commander Rach had."

"Doesn't mean we can't call him it behind closed doors."

The bridge crew chuckled amongst themselves while Flay smiled. Sai received a personal mail on his computer. He immediately opened it and read the contents of a scouting report. Scouting parties had been patrolling the borders set out between the Plants and Earth Alliance space. Squads of GM's, led by Guncannon's flew across parts of space. Flay leant against her chair, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Sai, do you ever think about what if?" Flay asked.

"Excuse me?"

"What would have happened if we did things differently?"

"I tend not to, you can't do that you know. Thinking about what could have been is another way to torture yourself!" Sai said.

"I've been to the Plants, not just to meet the Chairman but to visit someone who saved my life. Kyusai took me back to Kira; he gave me a chance to tell him how I really felt. Because of him, Gekido survived his encounter with Uragiri and we all got the information we needed to know what Gekido truly was and what Uragiri's ambition was. And when I see his grave I see nothing but hate, they've put graffiti, even desecrated the gravestone. The only flowers that are laid there are the ones I bring and people stomp them into the ground!"

"Flay…let's talk outside," Sai said, he couldn't let the men see Flay cry.

They floated outside and began a long journey to Sai's office. Flay wiped a tear from her eye, looking over her shoulder to make sure that no one was following them.

"Its okay Flay, I'm angry about what happened too, Akushi-I mean Kyusai sacrificed everything in order to get himself in a position where he could access Zala and Uragiri's files!" Sai explained, offering Flay a drink canister.

She drank the water while Sai cleaned his glasses. On his desk stood a photo of the Heliopolis crowd on the Archangel. It included Tolle, who had unfortunately been killed in a battle with Athrun's team, Gekido's adopted father Yamato Kuzunagi, whom had been shot dead by one of Uragiri's soldiers. The group of kids stood in EA uniforms, with Flay stood in a pink dress, clearly nervous. She was nervous because she was standing next to Gekido and his siblings Tachi and Kisagi. They were sadly killed by Akushi as part of his plot to get closer into ZAFT. But the two were subsequently cloned to serve Uragiri. Thankfully they were freed before they could do any damage. When Flay thought back to those days she realised how ignorant she was. She feared the coordinators, even Kira and in time she came to hate them.

_"Let me assure you I am not associated with ZAFT, ZAFT is the name of the forces, you see it actually stands for Zodiac Alliance of freedom…"_

_"That makes no difference, your still one of those coordinators" Flay said aggressively._

_Gekido squeezed his fists together and his stance became even more aggressive. Flay and Lacus didn't notice but Mir and Kira recognised his stance, it was the same one he took when they were at Junius Seven. Lacus looked at Flay with a puzzled expression on her face._

_"There is a significant difference, it's true that I am not a Natural like you but I am not part of the forces believe me" Lacus said and she looked up and down at Flay's appearance. "I notice you are not part of the forces either, so if you think about it you and I are the same" Lacus reached out to shake Flay's hand "Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is…"_

_"NO!" Flay screamed shaking her head at Lacus "Just keep your distance!"_

_The others widened their eyes in shock and so did Lacus. Meanwhile Gekido's legs actually started shaking as he began to growl in anger. However this was unnoticed by Flay as she continued on._

_"You must be nuts, why should I shake hands with somebody like you?" Flay asked the girl and Kira's eyes started to well up as he was slowly crushed by the words that came out of Flay's mouth "I don't want any of you coordinators acting friendly with me!"_

_Gekido roared like he had never roared before. The others were shocked as Gekido grabbed the collar of Flay's dress and slammed her against the wall. Kai and Canard walked into the room and instead of breaking up the incident decided to watch it as they leant against the wall._

_"Let me ask you a question Alster and I want you to be honest, are you a member of Blue Cosmos?" Gekido growled, his voice was even deeper and aggressive than it was before, if that was possible for him._

_Overcoming her fear and panic Flay replied "I'm not, but the stance those people take…I don't think they're entirely wrong, having your genes altered when you're not sick or anything is against what nature intended"_

_"Is that the bullshit that prick father of yours fed you? What did nature intend? Who has the right to tell us what nature intended? Did nature intend for us to pollute our air, pollute our oceans, or move into deep space? IF YOU'RE SO KNOWLEDGABLE THEN TELL ME WHAT NATURE INTENDED! YOU KNOW WHAT I DO TO PEOPLE WHO SHARE BLUE COSMOS VIEWS! I BEAT THEM TO BLOODY PULPS!" Gekido yelled moving his fist towards Flay as she closed her eyes and screamed._

_"GEKIDO DON'T YOU DARE!" Kira yelled as he moved towards Gekido._

_But much to everyone's shock Gekido's fist slammed into the wall just inches from Flay's cheek. Flay slowly closed her eyes and trembled more in fear at the sight of Gekido's raged filled eyes._

_"But there's one thing I never do, hit women!" He said as he loosened his grip on Flay's shirt but didn't let her go. "Normally I beat anti-coordinators to a pulp then give a little lecture but I'll skip a few pages, let me tell you something Alster and I want you to pay attention, I'll expect you to speak the words off by heart later. Coordinator, Natural, none of these things exist, we're no different from each other, sure our genes may be different and we may have been born in different ways but we're still human, that's the only thing that people have in common in this world, we're all different, we are all individuals! Read a few history books and dictionaries, genocide, learn what it means and learn what the holocaust was! Then think about today and compare it to Junius Seven, thousands of lives lost, for WHAT!"_

Strangely it had been the man she hated the most who opened her eyes to a more neutral stance on coordinators. In time she fell in love with a coordinator. Then she came to call a coordinator friend. And much to her surprise she found herself calling a coordinator her Saviour.

"I'm the one shedding tears for him Sai, sometimes I wonder how his father reacted." Flay said.

"You mean Dagger Thanos?"

"Yes, he was his son, and in the last few months he was alive, Thanos regarded him only with contempt and hatred," Flay whispered.

* * *

On Earth, the Kratos mobile suits kept up their assault on the Minerva. Joe ran through the woods, targeting a Kratos firing bazooka shots at the ships blindside. The Efreet lifted its sword over its shoulder and beheaded the Kratos. Branden landed on a nearby island and fired his beam rifles at two Kratos's.

"These people just won't let up, they don't stand a chance but they're still fucking annoying," Nia growled.

She lifted up her faceplate and wiped sweat off of her forehead. Rey walked out of the Minerva's hanger, carrying another set of beam rifle batteries. Nia drew her beam tomahawk and waited for a Kratos to fly by. She cleaved the mobile suit in half, but it still flew on, firing several blasts into the Minerva before a missile penetrated the head. Sheryl walked onto the bridge and relieved the gunnery chief of his position. The Sensou officer targeted several of the Kratos's, firing blasts from the Minerva's beam cannons. Most of the mobile suit's managed to dodge the beams, but one had its arm blown off. Kojiro slashed a Kratos across the head, and then jumped off his flight platform. He landed on the Minerva, deflecting a beam with his katana. The beam flew into a Kratos's head.

"Its no good, everyone we're retreating!"

"Ma'am, the Kratos have begun a retreat pattern," Meyrin said.

"COME ON COWARDS! FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!" Branden roared.

"Major Kamal, don't rush ahead," Meyrin warned.

"Shut up Bunny!"

"MAJOR KAMAL!" Kojiro yelled.

Kojiro's voice snapped Branden out of his rage and he let the other Kratos's fly away. Branden grudgingly flew back to the Minerva with Shinn. The pilots assembled in the locker room. Branden threw his helmet against the wall.

"Calm down Major," Kojiro said.

"How am I supposed to calm down when those bastards of Uragiri are still fighting, even with her dead they still carry on," Branden growled.

"Is there any way she could be alive?" Rey asked.

"Oh yeah there's plenty of ways to survive a sabre through the cockpit, and a subsequent nuclear explosion," Branden sarcastically stated.

"Who beat her?" Luna asked.

"We only have reports of what happened, a mobile suit ran her Gundam through with a beam sabre, subsequently her mobile suits Nuclear reactor exploded, add to that the explosion from Genesis and she wasn't likely to survive," Kojiro explained.

Branden could see that the younger pilots were uncertain. He understood their feelings; with the way her followers' spoke of her it was easy to believe that she was some kind of goddess. But Branden had faith that that Gundam pilot had finished Uragiri off. Commander Rach never did reveal who piloted the Gundam that killed Uragiri, he only said in his report that Uragiri would no longer be a threat to Sensou. But even dead she was still a thorn in the way of peace.

* * *

Vincent nervously rubbed his forehead. He didn't know about the Purpose but the ReZel didn't have nearly enough power left for another hour. Still the ReZel's battery lasted longer than the Jegan. Vincent read the reports sent to him by Flay. Contact had been lost with Natarle as expected, but satellites reported that the Minerva had been under attack by Uragiri Kratos's.

"Purpose, how long do you have left on your Arc Generator?" Vincent asked.

"_Thirty minutes," _The AI text back.

"Shit," Vincent whispered.

"_How do fasces apply to our situation?"_

"It's a term we use to describe a bad situation; it kind of relieves our stress."

_"Human expressions are most strange."_

Vincent chuckled before resting his head against his seat. He opened his eyes as he heard a beeping sound at his console. Checking his mail, Vincent raised his eyebrows at what he read.

**Commander Rach**

_I understand that nothing could have been done to prevent Doug's death but that doesn't make it any easier. Lately I've begun to think about my actions in the past, the secrets of my origin that you've kept from me. Don't bother asking me how I found out, the source I have is reliable. From this moment I'm leaving Sensou, I now longer feel that I can make a difference as part of that organisation. The next time we meet we will likely be enemies. I'm deeply sorry, but I know now that I was wrong to fight what I am._

_With both respect and love goodbye_

_Nena Trinity Carmine_

Vincent sighed and lowered his head; Nena hadn't been the only one to leave the organisation. So many others were leaving in order to save their threatened families. Others simply lost faith in Sensou's purpose. The young man slammed his fist into his armrest.

"Damn it," He muttered.

The sudden blare of the alarm caught Vincent's attention. He moved his machine to the side as a blast flew past him. The Purpose switched out of jet mode, its eyes flaring as it looked upon its targets. Vincent widened his eyes as he looked at the Kratos's. They had flown away from the Minerva but each one was still active. The four-eyed machines aimed their rifles at Vincent as he changed out of wave rider mode. A flurry of beams flew towards Vincent and the Purpose 2. The AI machine easily blocked the beams before flying head first towards the machines. It drew its beam sabre, slashing one of the Kratos's arms off. Vincent fired back with his rifle, hitting a Kratos in the head.

"There's Vincent Rach, kill him and destroy Sensou's leadership," One of the Kratos pilots said.

Vincent flew the ReZel downwards, dodging several beam bullets before landing the mobile suit on an island. He hid behind a massive rock, checking his battery. His mobile suit was dangerously low on energy and he had no spare battery to share. He moved the ReZel as his warning alarm blared again. Several bullets flew towards the ReZel, clipping its left arm. The ReZel landed by one of the trees, aiming its rifle at its attackers. Vincent widened his eyes at the mobile suits, three elite Akuma units and two Orions. Only the best pilots of the Uragiri faction piloted those suits.

"Target locked, commencing avenging mission," One of the Akuma pilots said.

The Akumas drew their antiship swords while the Orion's raised their rifles. Vincent bought up his holographic display, aiming at one of the Orion's. He fired a shot from his rifle, barely clipping the suit's shoulder. An Akuma rushed forward, swinging its sword around. Suddenly, the Purpose Mark 2 landed between the two suits, blocking the blade with its sabre. Vincent then fired his rifle, sending a beam flying past the Purpose's shoulder and straight into the Akuma's head.

"FOR URAGIRI!" One of the pilots yelled.

One of the Orion's rushed forward, swinging its sabre at the Purpose. But the AI suit blocked the Orion's strike and drew its second beam sabre. The Purpose pushed the Orion back and plunged its sabres into the Orion's head. The second Akuma unit swung its sword around, cutting Vincent's shield. Vincent quickly drew his beam sabre and swung the weapon into the Akuma's head. He widened his eyes as the third Akuma ran towards him. There was no time for the ReZel to pull its sabre out of the other Akuma's head. Instead, Vincent fired his Vulcan's forcing the Akuma back. The Purpose slashed the Orion across the chest, watching as its head retreated upwards. Vincent withdrew his sabre from the Akuma's head and turned to the last Akuma.

"Shit, too low on energy, if I miss then I'm dead by beam sabre, but if I actually hit him I'll have nothing left for the Kratos's above," Vincent said to himself.

He grits his teeth together as he stared down the Akuma. Then he looked to the Purpose as it deactivated its sabre. The sentient machine looked up at the approaching Kratos's, almost contemplating what decision it should make. Its eyes flashed a yellow colour as its arms shook. Vincent widened his eyes as the Gundam spread its arms out, the machines armour suddenly lit up, changing to a gold colour. The Purpose ignited its sabres and flew up into the air. Like a fly it darted between targets, flawlessly dodging projectiles and stinging its enemies with its sabres. The Purpose sliced a Kratos right down the middle and landed right in front of the Akuma.

"What the hell? A human can't handle those speeds!" The Akuma pilot gasped.

His words seemingly angered the Purpose as it crossed its sabres together, slicing the Akuma's head from two sides. The Akuma pilot yelled as the beams ripped him apart. Vincent watched as the Purpose stayed in front of the exploding machine. Its armour returned to its normal colours, but quickly faded into a dim grey colour.

"NO!" Vincent yelled.

He rushed forward, catching the mobile suit as it fell. Vincent grit his teeth together as he flew the ReZel upwards. Since he couldn't change into Wave rider mode, flying would be much more difficult. He knew that he needed to get the Purpose some place safe quickly. Sighing in defeat, Vincent made one final attempt to call for help.

"This is Sensou Supreme Commander Vincent Rach, is there anyone friendly to Sensou out there, I am in need of immediate repair and shelter," Vincent spoke into his radio.

He waited, never expecting a call. But joy overcame him as the green light on his radio came on and he heard a familiar voice.

"Commander Rach, this is the Minerva, we can hear you," Meyrin said.

"ALL RIGHT! Are you guys close?" Vincent asked.

"Yes commander, please move towards out coordinates, we are being pursued by Uragiri remnants!"

"Okay, keep going on the path your on Minerva, I'll be coming in hot," Vincent said.

He pushed his flight sticks forward as far as they could go. The ReZel's armour groaned as its arms kept a hold of the Purpose. But despite this the mobile suit still darted across the sky. Vincent's eyes remained focused on the growing form of the Minerva. Multiple beams flew past him as Kratos mobile suits closed in from behind. Inside the Minerva, the pilots looked at the screens for the Minerva's cameras. Nia pushed Kojiro and Branden into the wall as she looked at the screen.

"Vincent!" Nia cried in delight.

The pilots looked at her, particularly a growling Branden.

"I mean…Commander Rach," Nia blushed.

Vincent pushed the ReZel as hard as he could. Shots clipped the mobile suits shoulders, but that didn't matter. He had to get the Purpose to the Minerva. That was his mindset.

"Why isn't he here yet?" Arthur asked.

"Its that mobile suit he's carrying, its weighing him down," Sheryl said.

"Commander Rach abandon that suit," Talia said, grabbing her phone.

"NO!" Vincent yelled. "Not…this…one!" He growled.

One of the Kratos's sped up, drawing a sabre as it closed in on Vincent. Suddenly, a blast flew out of the water, hitting the Kratos in the head. The Kratos harmlessly bounced into the water, away from the ReZel. Cheers echoed through the Minerva as the Aero Gundam burst out of the water. Silver Mask raised his rail rifle, aiming it at the Kratos's as he landed on of the Minerva's "legs".

"Come on in Commander, we've got plenty of repairs and shelter to offer inside," Silver Mask chuckled.

Kojiro raised his eyebrow as he still saw that Branden was glaring.

"What's wrong major?" Kojiro asked.

"He disappears for a half hour and then reappears so he can act like the hero, I don't know whether to be pissed off or admire how badass it is," Branden explained.

The Minerva opened its hatch and the ReZel stumbled inside. Pilots and crewmembers alike were shocked to see the new addition to the team. The pilots in particular recognised it as one of the Purpose Mark 2's. Vincent opened the hatch for his mobile suit, ignoring the welcoming committee as he made his way to the Sensou mechanics.

"If you packed an extra Arc generator insert it into that machine now, ON THE DOUBLE PEOPLE!" Vincent yelled.

"SIR YES SIR!"

Sheryl and Talia exited the elevator, watching in confusion as the Aero Gundam put the Purpose onto the repair space. Sensou and ZAFT mechanics were working together, using a small van to drive the Arc reactor towards the mobile suit. A Sensou senior mechanic worked at a heavy lifting mech, opening the Purpose's chest.

"Just put in the generator, don't touch anything else," Vincent ordered.

"Commander Rach, what is going on here?" Talia asked from the railing.

Vincent ignored the question and manned another heavy lifting mech. He helped the mechanics slowly direct the new arc generator into the Purpose's chest.

"Come on, come on," Vincent whispered. He tightened his fist in determination. The Purpose 2 had given almost everything it had to save his life, and Vincent was sure as hell going to do the same!

"That thing should be studied not reactivated," Rey said.

"As much as it pains me I agree," Branden silently admitted. After all it's just a mobile suit, not a person.

As the mechanics connected the Arc, Vincent ran back to his ReZel. He grabbed the computer inside the cockpit and counted down with his fingers to the crew to brace themselves.

"One, two three, here we go," Vincent smiled.

The Arc generator lit illuminated the hanger like a light bulb. Soldiers reached for their guns and crewmembers ran for cover as the Purpose sat up. Like a child, the machine looked at its surroundings. Occasionally it would look down at a crewmember, pushing its face closer to scare away a potential threat. Finally its eyes rested on Vincent, a familiar face.

"_Did I do good?" _It asked with an email.

Vincent chuckled as he read the message.

"You did better than good partner, welcome to Sensou, you've earned it," Vincent said.

There was an awkward silence amongst the crew as they looked at the machine. They needed an explanation but for some the situation was clear.

"Well…at least he won't hog the shower," Joe muttered.

While Vincent began the task of explaining his adventure to the Minerva crew, a small distance away, enemy forces began to make their move. From a small island base, Uragiri remnants began lifting off. Inside the small bunker, a man sat looking at a laptop. He was communicating with his mysterious benefactor, the same man his fellow generals had spoken with.

"General Savage, Sin failed in his mission to kill Clyne and Yamato, make sure you don't fail to kill your target," The benefactor said.

The General put on his mask, a round helmet that had glowing red eyes. He let out a growl as various chemicals flowed through his body. The chemicals filled him with Adrenaline he would need for his coming battle.

"Don't worry, by the end of this day Shinn Asuka will be buried with his family!"

Next Chapter 22: Flight to tomorrow

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time we'll go between the Minerva crew and the gathering Archangel crew. The time has arrived for Kira to break up Yuna and Cagalli's wedding, but someone plans on getting in the way. And the Minerva crew is faced with more Uragiri remnants, led by General Savage, whose got it in for Shinn. But they get help from an unexpected ally, you've already seen two of them, now you can find out what happened to the third!

Read and review please.


	23. Flight to tomorrow

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Here I am with another update, editing credit once again goes to 00virtuezero, who also added a scene with his own characters. Today we wee the return of another character from Gundam Seed, enjoy :)

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 22: Flight to tomorrow

Those whom lived at Malchio's church had felt an odd sensation. As the former victors of the last war looked up at the Gundam Purpose, the sun began rising behind them. The sentient machine knelt down, looking at the people it had saved. Heero and the other Sensou soldiers were still there, judging the machine as best they could. The details of the mission would be included in the report they would send to Flay. Kira's face remained joyful as he looked up at the Purpose. He felt the sense of familiarity he had felt when he was aboard the Archangel. This machine was the Gundam Purpose, not a copy or an upgraded unit but the original machine, repaired with parts from a ships graveyard. So many thoughts ran through the minds of the humans present, but only one thought occupied the Purpose's network.

"What will you do now?" The machine asked.

The children awed at the Gundam as its head tilted, looking at Murrue Ramias.

"Former Captain Ramias, has your ability to command withered? And Lacus Clyne…I have not witnessed your influence, your unique ability to inspire others and influence them to follow you. Alls I know is that it is held in almost as high a regard as Kira Yamato's piloting abilities," The Gundam explained.

"Wait Purpose why are you here? Weren't you destroyed when Uragiri's base went up?" Kira asked.

"While a large majority of my armour was destroyed the central part of my body still remained, the neural network that has helped me to evolve."

"Neutral network, you're talking about some kind of super computer," John said.

"Only to a vague mind, my neural network was specifically crafted to absorb information and to adapt to that information. Like a child I was groomed by Gekido Jaeger to defy those in power. The world as you know it is changing, particularly for you Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne. At eighteen you have crossed into the realm of the adults, now you must have a full understanding of the issues that face the people whom desire to fulfil their ambitions," The Purpose explained.

The Purpose stood up, looking at the children in intrigued as they climbed on his feet. He lightly brushed them aside with his finger as he looked back down at the group he was trying to protect.

"There are powers at work that do not appear to be an immediate threat, tell me Kira who do you think is responsible for this attempt against Lacus's life?" Purpose asked.

Kira thought for a moment as all eyes turned to him.

"ZAFT, someone in ZAFT, possibly Durandal…its obvious right, the equipment they were using and this other Lacus that Durandal's put in the spotlight. For all we know he could have grown his own Gekido Jaeger as well," Kira explained.

"Your instincts have grown better Kira, yet you still have that Naiveté. Though he may be a part of this, Durandal is just one part of the puzzle, also do not presume to know whether the Gekido Jaeger in the Plants is or isn't the man you knew," The Purpose said.

"Is he with you then?" Lacus asked.

"No he isn't."

Those words took Lacus by surprise. Machines weren't capable of lying, deceptions lacked logic. So if Gekido wasn't with the Purpose, where was he? Whose side was he on?

"Do you know what this greater threat is then, does it have anything to do with Uragiri? And what about the assassin with the mask, what was wrong with his body?" Kira asked.

"It would take too long for me to explain it fully to you Kira Yamato. Just do as you will and we will meet again later," Purpose said.

"You're not staying with us?"

"I must leave immediately before Orb's fleet security gets too severe for me to breach. We will meet again Kira, that is my promise to all of you," The Purpose declared.

Kira and the others covered their faces and dust flew towards them. The Purpose flew into the sky, its arms and legs folding as it changed to its jet form. Kira stared at the machine as it flew away and then turned to the others.

"We need to leave Orb as soon as possible," He said.

* * *

Far away from Orb, the Minerva was still unaware of the Uragiri forces preparing a final wave. No one suspected an attack, that was why they were able to easily relax. Vincent shut his locker, walking out of the changing room in his uniform. Brendan and Kojiro stood waiting for him. Kojiro had his arms crossed, leaning against the wall while Brendan had his hands on his hips, also leaning against the wall.

"So…one of the Sentient Purpose's huh," Branden said, breaking the awkward silence. "All right I'm going to be the first to say this is a really bad idea. That thing's just waiting to trick us."

"Actually that is inaccurate Branden, machines are not capable of lying, most likely it has been given an encrypted program to turn on us once specific conditions are met," Kojiro explained.

"Whatever," Branden huffed.

"I appreciate your views but they aren't necessary, The Purpose Mark 2 stays and will be given the same amount of respect any other crew member would be given," Vincent said.

"You're going to regret your decision grand commander!"

The three Sensou pilots turned to see the three top Minerva pilots. Luna had a smile on her face while Rey's was one of complete professionalism. Shinn however kept a frown across his face as he looked at Vincent. Vincent stood his ground, he wouldn't apologise this time.

"I understand that you all have your doubts, but believe me when I tell you that machine is unique," Vincent said.

"It should be left at Carpentaria for study, in fact Captain Gladys is speaking with the chairman on just that topic," Rey explained.

"I gave no such order," Vincent growled.

"Look Commander Rach you've done a great job and no one's saying that you aren't right about the machine. If that thing is unique then it's worth the tech guys looking at it. The Earth Alliance built three more of those things; already that gives away its potential for limited production. Just think what the ZAFT and Sensou alliance could do with an army of those kinds of machines!" Luna's eyes seemed to light up at the possibility.

Branden shook his head for he really didn't like Luna. It wasn't just because of his dislike for coordinators. To him Lunamaria always came off as a fan girl, or worse yet an ass kisser. She always had positive things to say, that bubbly attitude was something that pissed Branden off. Kojiro however saw her attitude as a necessity; he had read that morale could improve with the presence of an optimist. He often thought of asking Luna for advice on optimism.

"That machine's a disaster waiting to happen, another True Faith incident in the making," Shinn said.

The offhanded comment caused Branden to glare at the younger pilot. His hands formed fists as he stepped away from the wall. He agreed with Shinn's point, but mentioning the True Faith incident in front of Vincent was unacceptable. Vincent however cast Branden a strong look. It calmed Branden slightly, but he still shot a spiteful look at Shinn. Vincent stood straight and mimicked the ZAFT style salute.

"Thank you for bringing your opinions to my attention, I encourage all of you to speak your mind," Vincent's "officer" voice was one of both respect and authority. "Rey, Luna, I'll see you both later, Shinn, could you walk with me to the Captain's office?" He asked.

Shinn sighed in frustration before motioning for Vincent to follow him.

"Shinn, show some respect to our commanding officer," Luna chided him as usual.

Rey shook his head before saluting Brendan and Kojiro. Lunamaria smiled and winked at them both as she followed Rey down the hallway.

"Come on lets go grab some food," Branden said.

"I'm not hungry, I'll go back to my room and read a book," Kojiro said.

"Wait…well you see…" Branden tapped his foot against the floor, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"You forgot where the cafeteria is, I figured you would!"

"I'VE NEVER SERVED ON A SHIP THIS BIG BEFORE!" Branden yelled.

Branden's faced returned to its calm state as he looked respectfully at Kojiro.

"Also, I wanted to thank you for your recommendation. The Murasama Rogue is great, the kind of power I can wield with that thing is…"

"It'll never outweigh the original Purpose's Arc generator," Kojiro interrupted Branden with a serious gaze.

"Maybe not but I'm started to at least understand what its like to fight like Gekido Jaeger," Branden said.

Kojiro nodded his head, he didn't respect Branden's obsession with Jaeger, but he did somewhat understand it. They were both people bred in battle, yet unlike Branden, Gekido wasn't a weapon of hate. Rather he had been a weapon of another's ambition, Uragiri's ambition. Vincent and Shinn walked towards Talia's office, an awkward silence settling between the two. Finally Vincent chose to break it:

"I was looking over the Impulse's blue prints and I realised that it's a very good machine," Vincent said.

Shinn huffed, turning his face away from Vincent's back.

"But it lacks any real support doesn't it? The central flaw of that machine is that the enemy can shoot down the equipment as it transfers from the Minerva," Vincent explained.

"Yeah well…they never shoot them down," Shinn said, hesitantly looking to Vincent.

"I believe a machine like the Impulse can be very valuable to the ZAFT and Sensou alliance. However like any other machine it has flaws that we need to overcome. During the first Bloody Valentine war the first Purpose was used by an aggressive pilot who would leave himself open to attacks, his machine was built with an AI to balance out the illogical part of the pilot's mind and he also had the Arc shield to make up for the heavy aggression of the mobile suit."

"Is this going somewhere?" Shinn asked.

"Branden's not very good at supporting allied mobile suits and my Rezel is out of action. Once I reach port I'll switching to another unit, right now the only new addition to the machine roster is the Purpose Mark 2. Durandal believes that this ship can play the same role the Archangel played in the last war, if that is so I believe the Purpose Mark 2 should serve the role of supporting the Impulse, much like how the original Purpose supported the Strike and vice versa," Vincent explained.

"You want me to work with that thing when its… "Brothers" killed two of my friends?"

"Its an order Asuka, you don't have to like it but try to see the sense in it," Vincent said as he reached Minerva's office. "I'll make the recommendation to the Captain, see you later Shinn!"

Shinn narrowed his eyes at the commander as he walked into Talia's office. He came off as indifferent to Shinn's opinion. In actuality Vincent wanted Shinn's respect, but his forgiveness would mean nothing. Saint Yuri killed Shinn's family, not him. Vincent saluted Talia, whom sat at her desk, her captain's hat resting on her arm rest. She returned Vincent's salute, dropping the pad she was reading onto her desk.

"Commander, please take a seat, I was hoping to speak with you sooner, but understandably you had delays. It cant be easy balancing your responsibilities on this ship and with Sensou's forces," Talia explained.

"I knew that it would be a heavy burden, that's why I agreed to let Flay be the chairwoman. She makes policy and I approve it, she handles our budget when engineers like Sheryl bring forward new ideas, I fight in battle and sometimes leave planning to more experienced captains, much like yourself," Vincent said as he took a seat. "There's going to be no issue with the command structure, rest assured captain I trust you to make the right decisions, regard me the way you would any of your other pilots."

Talia nodded her head with a smile. She stood up, offering Vincent her hand.

"I'm glad we've gotten any issues in the command structure sorted," She said.

Vincent shook her hand and gave her a final salute. He walked out of Talia's office, picking up his phone as he received another email. It was a casualty report from the Atlantic, as well as a request for supplies from the colonial investigation unit, the unit Natarle was leading.

'Natarle, Casvall, your mission cant be going as hard as ours is,' Vincent sighed.

He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. Looking to his side, Vincent smiled as he saw Nia standing in the corridor. She promptly saluted her superior officer.

"Commander Rach, its good to see you made it back onto the ship," She said.

"I'm glad to be here too Nia, how have things been going?" Vincent asked.

"You mean for me?" Nia shuffled her feet slightly in embarrassment.

"I'm interested in the whole crew, I know this is a situation for low morale but I'm glad everyone's still able to perform to their maximum efforts," Vincent said.

"Sir, are you really turning over command to Captain Gladys?" Nia asked.

"Yes, this is her ship so its only right that she should take command of it, my experience is primarily in mobile suit combat, not the command of ships. I'm not perfect and I'm not a master commander, I've made mistakes…" Vincent paused as he rubbed his head. "Sorry, I must sound really depressing, was there something you needed to talk to me about?"

"No sir, sorry for bothering you," Nia saluted Vincent before walking down the corridor.

Vincent rubbed his head in confusion before walking the other way. He walked past Silver Mask, who leant against the wall with his arms crossed. The masked man's eye glowed a red colour as he chuckled.

"He's not too bright!" He said.

* * *

The Sensou mechanics were used to Gundams, considering the fact that a majority of Sensou members were Gundam pilots. They had worked on numerous types of Gundams, some so similar to one another that it was difficult to find any distinction, but others were so different that they defied the imagination. The Purpose Mark 2 was a unique machine, one that drew numerous opinions. Sheryl however only had one opinion; this machine was cute.

"Sheryl what are you doing?" One of the mechanics asked.

Sheryl currently sat with her legs crossed together; looking up at her would be student. Quite a sight welcomed people coming down to the hanger. Vino and Youlan stared wide-eyed at the Purpose, which sat in a position that mirrored Sheryl's. It looked down at the woman, raising its hand and mimicking the signs she made.

"This means home, home understand?" Sheryl asked.

The Purpose mimicked the action and nodded its head.

"Amazing," Sheryl clapped her hands together as she smiled.

"You seem to be connecting with the Purpose rather well Miss Mercis," Joe said.

The ZAFT commander stood to the side of the mechanics, sipping a water canister.

"It kind of reminds me of when my son was a baby, so curious," Sheryl sighed.

"Oh, so you're a Mrs huh?" Joe asked.

"No, its complicated and private!"

"Well I'm not gonna ask for details of course, but your still single right?"

"Celibate!" Sheryl smirked.

"I think the doctor's got something for that," Joe chuckled.

"Jokes aside I've got no interest in a relationship right now!"

"Nothing says we have to be a relationship," Joe winked.

Sheryl burst into laughter, causing the Purpose to tilt its head in confusion. The machine had predicted that such a conversation would offend Sheryl. In fact the machine had witnessed several instances when crewmembers were insulting one another, yet laughed together. Was friendship about whoever could offend the other first?

"Mr Daigoji if I was a few years younger I'd drag you to the floor right now, but self control is who I am, my job is my marriage and my kids are…well these kids," Sheryl said, motioning to her engineering team.

"Wow…he must have been really important to you," Joe solemnly bowed his head.

"They both were," Sheryl whispered.

"I'm very sorry, I can't imagine what it must have been like."

Sheryl sat on the Purpose's foot, and action it didn't object to. The Gundam looked down at Sheryl, its advanced computers analysing her facial expression. She was sad, that much it understood; yet the Gundam couldn't comprehend why Sheryl wasn't crying.

"I was never married, I raised my boy all on my own. He always hated it when I protected him; it's probably why he joined the Alliance Military. We didn't speak for a while, but we connected round about the time he started getting promotions. He was so happy to be put on the same unit as the famed Gekido Jaeger, he got transferred the next day and didn't stop whining about it!" Sheryl explained.

Joe laughed, bopping his head back. Vino and Youlan blinked in surprise as the Purpose mimicked the action. Branden put a finger to his chin as he looked at the vending machine. His face contorted in frustration as he saw brands of drink he wasn't familiar with. Kojiro sat in his room, reading a self-help book. Shinn was with Rey and Luna in the cafeteria, they were discussing the latest finding.

"Keeping it on the ship is one thing but putting it on Sortie is completely crossing the line," Shinn explained.

"I don't know Shinn, Commander Rach wouldn't put something dangerous on the ship," Luna said.

"There have been no steps taken to ensure that the machine isn't kept secure, its regarded as a crew member and not equipment," Rey pointed out.

"How's about you guys trust the judgement of people who have seen more battle than you!"

The trio turned to see Silver Mask standing at the doorway. He looked at them, his eye glaring down at the young pilots. The masked man then raised his head, seemingly looking at the ceiling. Down in the hanger, the Purpose also raised its head. Its eyes glowed a red colour as it stepped away from its recharge rack. Vino stumbled towards the intercom, tearing off the phone and calling the hanger.

"WE'VE GOT A SITUATION! THE PURPOSE IS TEARING THE HANGER APART!" Vino yelled.

Arthur and the bridge crew widened their eyes in surprise. Meyrin's surprise was replaced by shock as she looked at her screen.

"There's a text style message sir…it's from the Purpose Mark 2 sir," Meyrin said.

"Relay the message to us Miss Hawke," Talia said as she walked onto the bridge.

"It says: prepare for battle now, Uragiri forces are incoming!"

"Ma'am we've got multiple heat sources approaching, ones massive!" A radar operator said.

Talia grit her teeth together as an image was bought up on the main screen. She widened her eyes as the crew gasped. Several squadrons of Kratos's and Orion's were being led by a Gundam type mobile suit that practically towered over the average Gundam. It was like a schoolyard bully, with legs that made it taller and arms that made it look tougher. A backpack with rockets kept it aloft, the pack had two extra arms and an assortment of heavy weaponry. The arms on the backpack had pincer claws attached to it. But unlike most Gundam's, instead of two eyes the Gundam's thick head had four eyes emblazed on it.

"ALL HANDS LEVEL ONE BATTLESTATIONS! GO TO CONDITION RED!" Talia yelled.

Without putting his flight suit on, Joe ran to the Efreet Nacht. The other pilots ran out of their rooms, making their way to the locker rooms. Sheryl began yelling out orders, getting the crew to clear the launch catapults. Silver Mask ran out of the elevator, making his way to his Aero Gundam.

"Damn Uragiri!" Silver Mask growled.

* * *

Kira and his group had already decided on the appropriate action to take. They had to leave Orb as soon as possible. Erica Simmons offered them the location of the rebuilt Archangel, which was luckily just a few miles away from the ruined mansion. Malchio and Caridad were making arrangements for the children to stay at Malchio's church. Lacus was saying goodbye to the "horde" of orphans. Kira smiled at the sight of Lacus playing with the kids one final time. Members of the Archangel crew gradually began to arrive. Some obviously couldn't make it so the arrivals mainly consisted of those that chose to stay on Orb. That included Chief Engineer Murdock of course, CIC staff member Chandra and the Archangel's pilot Neumann.

"We came as soon as we heard," Chandra said as he took his bags out of his car.

"What was it that you couldn't tell us on a insecure channel Kira?" Murdock asked.

"We were rescued by the Purpose," Kira said.

The three men widened their eyes at Kira's comment. Immediately they bombarded him with questions, such as whether Gekido was with the machine or who was piloting it?

"It wasn't piloted, the Gundam seems to have transcended the need for a pilot, its become completely sentient to the point where it can even talk," Kira explained.

"Are you saying that the Purpose has become…self-aware?" Murdock asked.

Kira nodded his head and Murdock gasped in shock.

"I don't think you understand the impact of this Kira, tell me what do you know of the case of the B-56 satellite?"

Kira put a hand to his chin as he thought about what Murdock had said.

"I don't know anything about that, what exactly is the B-56 satellite?" Kira asked.

"Around the time the Plants first became active, the United Nations had a satellite built that could monitor the Plants. Rather then pay tax dollars for a crew that technically wouldn't be doing anything, the Nations employed a scientist to create a computer system that controlled the satellite and independently monitored the Plants. Not many details were revealed to the public and a lot of forgot, but that one computer system, the B-56 satellite almost destroyed the Plants," Murdoch explained.

"What!" Kira gasped.

"The B-56 was apparently designed to adapt and learn from what it saw. Well the B-56 apparently learnt or "Thought" if you will that humans were worthless creatures incapable of change. The satellite altered its orbit pattern, sending itself on a crash course towards the Plants, which at the time were still being built. Fortunately the UN managed to launch nukes and blow the satellite out of space."

Kira sighed as he sat at a rock. He began to doubt the motivations of the Purpose. Had it come to care for the Archangel crew? If it had cared then it obviously would have stayed with the Archangel. Then again Heero had left, it didn't mean he didn't care, he just had work in Sensou to do. Every other original crewmember that hadn't come was also tied down by their lives. Some wanted to live in peace, others like Sai and Kuzzey were working for Sensou. But Kira was at least thankful that some members of the original crew could make it. Some of them even threw aside their original plans to help out.

* * *

John and Andy both looked at their watches as they waited at the airport. The person they were picking up was taking far too long. Andy sighed as he got into the car.

"We're not leaving without him are we?" John asked.

"No, we're going straight to the airfield," Andy sighed.

"There's no delays so what could be going on?"

"That's what we're gonna find out!"

The two friends drove down towards the airfield, where a small second class plane was standing. Andy flashed the guard his Morgenroutte pass and drove up to the plane. The two former ZAFT pilots widened their eyes as they heard what was going on in the plane.

"YOU ADVERTISED A SOUP AND INSTEAD I GOT WATER! IT NEEDS MORE CREAM DAMN IT!"

"I'm sorry sir but the plane has landed, you have to disembark."

"JUST POINT ME TO WHOEEVER MADE THESE MEALS! I'LL HAVE THEM SENT BACK TO COLLEGE FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY CHEF!"

"Please sir calm down and let us disembark!"

A sweat drop ran down the back of Andy's head, while John merely sighed. They were behind schedule because the Archangel's original Chef Kai Yamada was trying to lecture the plane staff on food. Andy simply climbed up the steps and walked up behind Kai.

"Excuse me Kai, we're a little bit behind schedule," Andy said.

"I'm not done yet, I still need to tell them about the texture of the damn chicken they serve," Kai said.

"John and I…need your expertise on a coffee recipe we're putting together," Andy sighed.

Kai paused and turned to the tiger.

"Say no more, just let me fetch my bag and I'll be on my way!"

A few minutes later the trio were driving down the road, making their way back towards the house. Kai widened his eyes as John told him about the situation, including the arrival of the Purpose. Andy looked to his phone as it rang. Quickly pressing the green button, Andy raised his eyebrows in surprise as Murrue appeared on the screen.

"Where the hell are you guys?" She asked.

"Blame Kai," Andy said.

Murrue sighed as she rubbed her forehead.

"Cagalli's caretaker just showed up, your not gonna believe this but she's getting married today," Murrue said.

Andy and John widened their eyes in shock while Kai pressed his head against the screen.

"WHAT! AND SHE DIDN'T INVITE THE BEST CATERER SHE KNEW!" He yelled.

"Don't tell me…"

"Its Yuna Roma," Murrue said, confirming John's fears.

"What's Kira going to do?" Andy asked.

"Isn't it obvious, crash a wedding, still wish I could have gone, I could have seen if they got the crab cakes right," Kai sighed as he leant back into his seat.

* * *

The atmosphere at the Wedding steps was far from happy; it was a mere sham of what Cagalli was truly thinking. She hated the dress she was wearing, and it wasn't just because of her tomboy personality. Her "husband to be" was a man she despised. Yet still she hoped that this would lead to a stable peace between Orb and the Earth Alliance. She couldn't watch her country burn like her father had. As she walked up the steps to meet Yuna, she kept telling herself again and again that this was for the good of Orb. Yuna had given her an Ultimatum, marry him or lose all her authority. Cagalli was glad that her veil concealed her tears. Cameramen recorded the scene and journalists reported on the day of happiness for Orb. But happiness was far from what Cagalli was feeling.

Unbeknownst to the security forces, a man in a brown trench coat stood behind one of the pillars. He had his hands in his pockets and a hat covered his grey hair. The young man looked to Cagalli as she walked closer and closer to Yuna.

"You've got pretty pathetic friends brother," The grey haired man said.

Yuna smiled as Cagalli joined him at the alter. The girl didn't even pay attention to the priest reading through the vows. She just hoped that this day would end quickly.

'Forgive me Athrun,' Cagalli thought.

A grin spread across the grey haired man's face as people began looking up.

"Maybe they aren't so pathetic after all," He grinned.

Cagalli widened her eyes and Yuna screamed. The Freedom blew aside the wedding decorations as it flew to the alter.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Cagalli yelled at the Gundam.

Kira carefully moved the Freedom's hands, picking Cagalli up. Yuna jumped back in shock as the Freedom floated off the floor. Cagalli yelled for Kira to stop, but the Freedom was already engaging its rockets at full speed.

"CALL THE FLEET HAVE THEM CHASE THAT MOBILE SUIT NOW!" One of the guards yelled.

The grey haired man chuckled, still standing at his usual spot. He took a phone out of his pocket and called his contact.

"Cagalli Yula Athha has left, Orb is now in your masters hand, General Ambition!" The man said.

General Ambition sat in Cagallli's office, smiling underneath his mask. Kira Yamato had made things easier for him and his master.

* * *

Cagalli flailed her arms around as the Freedom flew her across the sky. Kira kept his eyes on both the sky and his radar. He then opened his cockpit, dropping Cagalli onto his lap.

"What the hell are you doing Kira?" Cagalli asked.

"Wow, this is a nice dress Cagalli," Kira said.

A vein throbbed on Cagalli's forehead as she grit her teeth together. She and Kira then turned their attention to the radar as more heat sources appeared. Ships from Orb's naval fleet were gathering below them, while Murasame's were pursuing them. Kira wasn't worried; despite the delay he was sure he could reach the Archangel in time. Miles away, the Archangel emerged from the water, fully repaired from the damage done to it in the last war.

"You know most ships would get like gun or missile upgrades, but what does the Archangel get? A hot springs and a bigger kitchen!" Kai growled as he walked down the corridors of the ship.

"Well at least you've got more ingredients to work with," John said.

"True, despite the changes, its good to be back," Kai smiled.

John nodded his head before the two of them headed up to the bridge. Everyone was dressed in the standard Orb uniform. It was a symbol that they represented Orb's true interests. Kira moved the Freedom faster as he swooped across the water. Captain Todoka looked at the Gundam, knowing exactly how he would proceed. Despite the orders Yuuna was shouting over the radio, he ordered his crew to stand down.

"What the?" Kira muttered.

"What is it?" Cagalli asked.

"The Marasume's are cutting off their pursuit," Kira widened his eyes as he felt a tingling sensation in his head. "It couldn't be…Simon!"

The Freedom turned, flying backwards as Kira looked to his pursuer. A grey and gold Gundam flew after the Freedom, holding a shield and beam rifle, both consisting of gold and grey colours. Simon wore a grey flight suit; virtually identical to the one Gekido had worn years ago. He narrowed his eyes at the Freedom and pushed his Gundam forward.

"Simon Jaeger, Liberty Gundam ready to eliminate target!" He said before targeting the Freedom.

* * *

"This is a… interesting development." Jeremiah Isfrael stated as he watched television broadcast of what was the wedding turned abduction. And he was not alone.

Colonel Cain Eunathas narrowed his eyes at the scene with his arms crossed as he leant against the wall. His cold grey eyes never lost sight of Freedom and the attacking Liberty.

Jessica stood by Jeremiah's chair as she looked at the television nervously. The young blue haired coordinator was quite surprised at this changing turn of events. However that was not making her nervous. What was making her nervous was her boss's… friend.

Jessica's eye turned to look at Cain as he looked at the television. In all honestly Colonel Eunathas made her weary and at times even frightened her. It was just the man seemed to have this cold aura around him that gave a vibe that said "Back off or Else!"

Now in all honesty Cain's physical appearance was unique. His hair was an unnatural pale white styled mid length straightened with two long bangs hanging neatly near his the collar of his Alliance uniform. His face actually quite handsome and showed clear signs of being fully defined. In fact the Colonel looked to be well in his late 20s or even early 30s. But his cold gray eyes told another story. Those eyes told stories of years witnessing and experiencing unspeakable horrors. They were almost …inhumane.

"It seems the Clyne faction has made their first move." Jessica turned her eyes to the Director as he spoke. Jeremiah brought out one of his cigarettes and placed it in his mouth as he got his lighter.

Jessica couldn't help but sigh at her boss's smoking habit. He was shortening his life expectance every time he used those sticks of death. However given his positions as the Director of the Atlantic Federation and Chief Mobile Suit Designer, it was understandable how stressful that could be on one man. Well that is how she saw it.

"It is a foolish move either way." Cain voiced his opinion on the actions of the Freedom. He uncrossed his arms and stopped leaning against the wall to walk next to Jeremiah. "It wouldn't matter if the marriage took place or not; Orb will still be under the control of the Seirans."

"Are you sure? I mean the Athha girl is inexperienced and all, but considering the fact she fought in the First War and considering she is the daughter of the Lion Of Orb you would expect her to put up a fight." Jeremiah raised his eyebrow.

"That child is no Uzumi Nara Athha. She foolishly acts on her emotions and has a single minded view of the world." Cain responded with cold disdain. "Her and the rest of those fools at the Clyne faction fail to see the cold hard truth of the matter. Honestly they are completely hopeless in guidance without Gekido Jaeger beating some sense into their naïve skulls."

Jeremiah sighed. He knew full well that Cain had a valid point about the situation. But at times he could be so cynically blunt and brutal about other people. Especially young people like Kira Yamato and Cagalli Yula Athha.

"Always the charmer there eh Cain? Honestly when comes to bluntness I think you give Harry Truman a run for his money." The brunette breathed out an air of smoke.

"Hn," Cain merely shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Jessica noticed a small thin smile of amusement on the pale white haired man face. Then it dropped to its neutral standing.

"By the way Jeremiah did you give the Liberty orders to sortie to Orb?" Eunathas queried.

Jessica decided to speak for the Director "Colonel, no such orders where given to Ensign Hunter."

Cain turned his eyes to the young woman; Jessica couldn't help but flinch slightly. Then the Colonel nodded to her and politely said "Thank you Miss."

Jessica merely nodded.

"Hmph, so he acted on his own then. That kind of recklessness is practically asking for KIA (Killed in Action)." Cain.

"Maybe he has something to prove," Jeremiah suggested as he looked at the scene.

Cain said nothing as his eyes went back to scene as he narrowed his eyes at the Freedom and the Liberty fighting.

* * *

General Savage dodged a stream of missiles fired by the Minerva. He ignored the other mobile suits making their way off of the launch catapults. His target was the Impulse, the machine piloted by Shinn Asuka. The Zaku's fired their rifles, shooting the lowly Kratos pilots out of the sky. Branden Kamal, the pilot of the Murasama yelled as he cleaved an Orion in half. General Savage was a man of might, but even he needed a plan. His plan was flawless, throw the grunts at the other mobile suits and destroy the Impulse. That was his Purpose, the destruction of the threats to his benefactor. He slid the panel's open on his Gundam's chest. The Monstrous Gundam then pulled out two great beam sabres, igniting the huge beam blades.

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendour launching," Shinn said as he flew out of the hatch.

The Force silhouette and the components for the Impulse itself came out next. Savage then saw his chance to strike as the core splendour docked with the main body. He flew the Monstrous Gundam forward, rushing past The Murasama Rogue.

"What the?" Branden widened his eyes in confusion.

"NOW DIE!" Savage yelled.

Shinn gasped as the Monstrous Gundam swung its swords downwards. Suddenly, the Purpose Mark 2 slammed into the Monstrous Gundam's side. General Savage yelled as the AI machine threw him away from the Impulse. Recovering in midair, Savage narrowed his eyes at the Purpose. It floated side by side with the Impulse as the Gundam finished its assembly. Shinn looked at the machine in shock, remembering what Vincent had said.

"Its just an order, I don't have to like it," He whispered to himself.

The Purpose moved in synch with the Impulse, following its lead. Shinn fired his beam rifle, hitting the Monstrous Gundam's massive arms. Savage revealed his chest mounted Gatling guns, firing a flurry of bullets. He widened his eyes as the Purpose flew in front of the Impulse, its Arc barrier protecting the mobile suit. The Purpose's armour glowed with green energy from the Arc generator. Then the machine drew its beam sabre, passing the energy into the blade. Savage ignited his own sabres, blocking the Purpose's sword. He widened his eyes as the Impulse flew over the Purpose.

"Got you," Shinn said as he targeted the Gundam.

He pulled the trigger, sending a beam flying towards the Monstrous Gundam's head. General Savage let out a yell as he pulled his machine back, barely dodging Shinn's attack. Branden sliced an Orion in half and Rey shot a Kratos in the head.

"Enemy approaching from the portside," The Minerva's radar operator said.

The Kratos dodged the beams and missiles fired by the Minerva. It drew its beam sabre and headed straight towards the Slash Zaku. Nia turned to the machine and narrowed her eyes. Throwing her empty rifle aside, she retracted her axe. Without igniting the beams, Nia swung the poleaxe around, crashing it through the Kratos's head. Blood oozed onto the blade, but Nia only paid attention to the battlefield. She swung the axe around, throwing the Kratos aside. A rail rifle blast then slammed into the Kratos's back, blowing it to pieces for good measure. Silver Mask drew his beam trident and began blocking beams fired at him.

"There's too many of them, even for our forces," Vincent said.

He stood next to Talia's chair, looking out at the battlefield. Vincent smiled with a mix of pride and victory as he saw the Purpose and Impulse fighting side by side. He liked being proved right. But his focus then turned to the Aero Gundam. It smashed a Kratos across the head and then kicked an Orion into the Minerva's missiles. The rough fighting style was reminiscent of Gekido and the original Silver Mask, but the moments of refined skill seemed more like the man behind the mask was a veteran pilot. Silver Mask himself however sat inside the cockpit of his machine, breathing in frustration. He poured his hate and rage into his attacks, striking down Kratos's in fury.

"Keep attacking, overwhelm their forces," Savage ordered.

General Savage blocked a beam attack from the Impulse and fired its Vulcan's at the Purpose, forcing it to dodge. The Purpose fired its own Vulcan's back, spraying the Gundam's bulky chest armour with bullets. Shinn dived forward, making a daring move as he drew his beam sabre. He and Savage yelled as they swung their beam sabres towards one another. The two Gundam's slammed their swords together, passing each other by. Shinn smirked as he saw a scratch on the Monstrous Gundam's right shoulder pad. General Savage roared in fury as he turned the machine around. He stopped as he saw the Purpose fly to the Impulse's side.

"So this is why my master sees you as a threat," Savage whispered.

"This must be all the Uragiri remnant forces, I cant believe this many followed that bitch," Joe growled as he dodged a beam blast.

The Efreet stepped back, giving Lunamaria room to fire her beam cannon. Her beam blast cut a Kratos in half, sending its top half crashing into another Kratos. Joe whistled, impressed by the display.

"Our power won't last much longer at this rate," Kojiro muttered.

"What are you talking about, we've got plenty of power," Branden said.

"Don't be a fool!"

Branden slammed his sword into an Orion's shield, blocking the machine's counter strike with his second sword. He grit his teeth together as he pushed the blades against the Orion's weapons.

"These guys aren't going to beat me," Branden growled.

He threw his sword, sending it flying into a Kratos approaching him from behind. But much to Branden's shock, the Kratos dodged the blade. Branden drew a beam sabre and sliced off the Orion's arm. Quickly turning his machine around, Branden raised his sword and sabre to defend himself. Suddenly, a beam flew into the Kratos's chest, blowing the machine up. The crew of the Minerva looked to their right as several more beams flew at the Uragiri forces. Savage blocked a flurry of bullets, looking at the mild annoyances approaching the Minerva.

"Those are Sensou naval ships," Vincent smiled as he looked at the ships.

The aircraft carriers carried groups of ground type GM's and Gundams. But the mass produced Gundams lacked Phase shift armour, possessing armour that was as strong as the GM's. Unlike the GM's however, the Gundams were equipped with heavier weapons, such as missile launchers, bazookas and cannons. The GM's fired their machine guns and beam rifles while the Gundams let out bursts of cannon fire.

"Pathetic fools, you're just making yourself easier targets," A Kratos pilot said.

He drew his beam rifle and flew towards the Naval ships. Targeting the leading ship, the Kratos pilot smirked as he touched the trigger. Suddenly, a spiked mace flew out of the water, crashing into the Kratos's head. Branden turned to the water and smirked.

"About time he showed up," He said.

A black and red Gundam slowly floated out of the water. Two triple barrelled cannons were attached to its wrists, while its hands gripped two spiked morning stars. The Gundam's eyes shined a yellow colour as the beam cannon on its mouth began to flow. A massive winged flight pack was attached to its back, while gold markings similar to a bird's talons were on its knees. The Gundam fired its cannon, shooting two Kratos's.

"What the heck is that?" One of the CIC staff members asked.

"It looks similar to the Raider seen in the last war," Arthur said.

Meyrin put a hand to her ear.

"Ma'am we have an audio message from the pilot," She said.

"Play it, and relay it to all our pilots too," Talia ordered.

Meyrin nodded and played the message through the speakers.

"May all present witness the power of the sword that cleaves…I mean the mace that crushes evil, The Air Raider is here to help on behalf of Sensou," Clotho Beaur said as he flew at the Uragiri remnants.

The Minerva crew blinked in confusion at the pilot's statement. Kojiro kept his calm look while Vincent sighed.

"That idiot hasn't changed a bit," Branden said.

The Air Raider swung its morning stars around, striking two Orion's before they could even draw their sabres. A manic smile crossed Clotho's face as he switched the Raider to bird mode. Unlike he previous model however, the Air Raider truly resembled a bird as a head and beak folded over the Raider's helmet. The wings on the flight pack folded out while two sets of talons were revealed, one on the flight pack and another pair on the Raider's knees.

"HERE WE GO! CHESTO!" Clotho yelled as he swooped downwards.

Two Akumas flew at the Raider, both drawing their beam swords. Clotho span the Raider around, building momentum before slamming into the Akumas. He grabbed the Akuma's arms with his talons and then stabbed the Raider's beak through the Akuma's head. Clotho then turned to the second Akuma and opened the Raider's beak. A beam flew out of the beam, blowing off the Akuma's head.

"CRITICAL HIT!" Clotho yelled in joy.

"DAMN IT!" Savage roared.

He slammed his fist into his side panel, yelling in fury as he contacted his forces. The Uragiri pilots shivered in fear as they heard the General speak.

"We're leaving, our mission is a failure, ALL FORCES RETREAT!" He yelled.

One by one, the Uragiri mobile suits flew away, leaving the Minerva to continue its trek to Carpentaria.

* * *

Simon's eyes remained emotionless as he fired at the Freedom. Kira easily dodged the blasts, turning back to the Liberty. His eyes were an opposite of Simon's. He didn't want to fight a person he considered a friend. Instead of firing back, Kira made contact, causing Cagalli to widen her eyes in shock. She hadn't seen Simon lately and hadn't heard that he joined the Alliance.

"Simon listen to me, I need to get Cagalli out of Orb," Kira said.

"Shut up!" Simon growled.

He fired his beam rifle, hitting the Freedom's shield. Kira sighed before targeting the Liberty's rifle. The Coordinator squeezed off a shot, hitting the rifle. Simon threw the rifle aside as it exploded, his eyes still set on the Freedom. Shaking his head, Simon fired his Vulcan's hitting the Freedom in the back. Kira looked at Simon in shock, taken back by the young man's actions.

"Simon believe me I'm doing this for the right reasons, Cagalli cant be in Orb right now. Someone attacked us, someone in ZAFT, that means we cant go to the Plants and with the Earth Alliance drafting Orb into the war we cant stay here either. Please Simon let us go," Kira explained, his voice taking on a begging tone.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Simon yelled.

His words shocked Kira, it was as if Simon was a different person.

"Why are you acting this way?" Kira asked.

"I'm a soldier of the Earth Alliance, I'm fighting to make things better, your only messing everything up. Taking Cagalli from her country, what the hell do you think is going to happen to Orb without her huh? You and Lacus always think your justified, that your right, well guess what Kira there's only one rule when it comes to war…THE VICTOR WRITES HISTORY!" Simon yelled.

The Liberty moved is hand to the beam sword on its back.

"If I beat you and take Cagalli back, then I'll be known as the man who restored the peace in Orb, not just Gekido Jaeger's brother!"

But before Simon could even draw his sword, Kira flew towards him. He drew his beam sabre and cut off the Liberty's arms. Simon widened his eyes as he watched the Freedom cut his sword into ribbons. He remained silent as the Freedom kicked what was left of his suit towards the ocean. Without saying another word, Kira flew the other way, docking with the Archangel. Todoka saluted the Archangel as it dived into the ocean. The Liberty crashed into the ocean, sinking into the depths. Simon emotionlessly looked through his side screen. Deep Forbidden's were approaching him, ready to take him to the nearest Orb vessel for recovery.

"Pilot, are you all right?" Magnus asked.

Simon slammed his hand into his side screen, his body shaking.

"Why? Why did I lose to him! He's lived in peace and I've fought, hell I was born to fight! WHY DID HE WIN!" Simon yelled.

He leant back into his seat, overcome with the frustration of his loss.

"I want…I need to beat him, I need to prove him wrong! THEY ARENT THE RIGHTEOUS ONES!"

Simon's yells echoed through the cockpit as the ruined Liberty was carried back to safety.

Next Chapter 23: Return to the battlefield

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Next time we go between all the groups as Simon has the Liberty prepared, Athrun joins the Minerva crew and the Thanos faction sends out an "invitation" to the Earth Alliance


	24. Return to the battlefield

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Back with another update, credit for editing once again goes to 00virtuezero, Vincent's new mobile suit is from the Ps3 game Mobile suit Gundam Battlefield Record UC 0081. This chapter also mentions events in the recent chapter of Lion's Silence

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 23: Return to the Battlefield

The Minerva had finally arrived at Carpenteria. ZAFT officers watched the ship dock with the base. Over the past few days, Carpentaria was being strengthened by the arrival of Sensou forces. Organisational rivalry was still present within the two forces as the base was divided by two fronts. Sensou mechanics worked on Sensou machines at a separate corner of the base. Members of the Minerva crew looked out of the observation deck at the multitude of suits set out across the base. Branden and Kojiro stood in the corner, both already familiar with the suits. A Guncannon Detector raised its hand into a salute as the Minerva passed it. Vincent stood with the Minerva pilots, smiling as he welcomed the familiar site of the GM's.

"The first mobile suit of the Sensou forces, the replacement for the Strike Daggers most of your forces used to begin with," Luna stated.

"They were designed specifically with old EA pilots in mind. Even though they don't have a lot of firepower the GM's are reliable machines. We'll be using them even when the Jegan is put into mass production," Vincent explained.

"Commander Rach, there's a situation on the colonial side," Sheryl said, holding a phone in her hand.

Vincent took the phone and pressed it against his ear. The other pilots couldn't hear what was being said, but Vincent's expression told them that the matter was serious. He walked away from the group as Sheryl headed for Kojiro and Branden.

"How goes Natarle's search?" Kojiro asked.

"They ran into terrorist forces under the command of the Zabi family. The group was overwhelmed and had to retreat, Casvall wounded an enemy pilot to create a distraction, and because of that trust in him has reached an all-time low," Sheryl explained.

"What, I know the guy isn't the easiest to understand but he never does things without a reason," Branden said.

"I understand you hold a respect for him Branden, but don't put too much faith in him," Kojiro stated.

"It isn't faith; you of all people should understand logic!"

"Easy you two, Casvall isn't easy to understand, particularly because he's mute. But so far he's been loyal to Sensou, let's not count him out yet," Sheryl said.

"Loyalties can always change," Kojiro said.

"WHAT!"

The others looked to Vincent; he had slammed his fist into the wall. He grit his teeth together as he heard the latest from Orb. Some of the pilots pointed at the TV screen as it showed the reports of Cagalli having been kidnapped. Vincent removed his fist from the wall and sighed as he lowered his head.

"Damn you both," He whispered.

* * *

Off the coast of Orb, an Earth Alliance naval boat loaded the recovered pieces of the Liberty. Simon sat at a bench, looking at the floor, obviously depressed over his loss. He looked at his hands, hands born to wield weapons. His whole existence was destined for battle; it was his reason for existence. Gekido chose his fate, a fate defined by battle. Simon shared that reason for living, yet he still lost to someone who was a simple scientist's experiment.

"Why did he win?" Simon wondered.

Jeremiah looked up at the recovered Liberty, whistling at the damage.

"Well boys, looks like we'll have to start from scratch with what we've got," Jeremiah said.

"But Director, we've got nothing to work with, our units couldn't recover all the pieces," One of the mechanics said.

"Don't worry, we'll improve the original design," Jeremiah smiled.

Cain leant against the wall, watching his old friend address his men. Despite his injuries, Jeremiah was still a mobile suit fanatic. He put a blue print of the Liberty and several other Gundams onto a table. His face held both excitement and enjoyment at his work as he let out ideas for the rebuilt Gundam. Cain looked to the machine's pilot, a boy sitting depressed with his thoughts. The white haired man walked over to the boy, grabbing his collar. Cain forced Simon onto his feet, shoving him back.

"What the hell," Simon growled.

"Stand on your feet soldier, you're facing a superior officer," Cain said, pointing to the bars on his uniform.

Simon hesitantly saluted the man.

"You personally knew the Freedom's pilot?" Cain asked.

"Yeah I know him, he's a wimp that's afraid of his own shadow, he whines about peace and everybody getting along. But when there's a chance for Orb to at least be safe from the Alliance, he ruins any chance of Cagalli controlling it, whatever was going on…there was a better way for him to deal with it than that!" Simon explained.

"And do you have all the answers?"

"Of course I don't, they act like they do though."

"Stop acting like a child," Cain grabbed Simon by the collar of his shirt. "Look at yourself, your acting like a boy that has broken his toy, a pathetic fool that can't figure out the simple logic that the fight isn't over. In war the fight ends when one of the soldiers is dead, you're only losing because you're childishly seeing it as a defeat. The battle ends when one of you is dead boy, no victor has been decided," He explained, shoving Simon back again.

Simon lowered his head as the older man walked away. Cain paused for a moment and looked back at Simon.

"Oh and boy, people say you are Gekido Jaeger's brother, they say you're special like him. Right now the only person whose opinion matters is yours, stop worrying about what everyone else thinks of you, if you want to be out of your brothers shadow stop thinking of yourself as special first."

Jeremiah chuckled as he watched Cain walk away from Simon.

"Taking on an apprentice old friend?" Jeremiah asked.

"I'm giving the child advice, he has potential which he's wasting with his recklessness," Cain said.

"Or perhaps you see him the way you saw yourself at that age, having a famous brother is like being part of a noble family isn't it? A lot is expected of you," Jeremiah laughed as Cain turned his head, coldly walking away.

Cain was part of an upper class family that contributed greatly to the Earth Alliance. Every member of his family was dead now but when he was a young private in the military, Cain took a lot of jokes and abuse from his comrades, particularly because of the special treatment he would receive, which he of course hated. Jeremiah got back to work as he composed a new design for the Liberty. A smile crossed his face as he worked, seeing Simon walk over to the Liberty.

'Next time, we'll be better,' He thought.

Simon raised his head and some of the Earth Alliance soldiers began pointing up at the sky. He looked up and blinked in confusion at the red blur flying in the sky.

* * *

Athrun sat inside his new suit, the Saviour. He knew that conflict between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance was imminent, but he had no idea of what had transpired in Orb. His time flying to Orb from space had been a long and dark one, so as such he had little to no knowledge of the current situation. Tuning his radio to an Orb frequency, Athrun began to make contact.

"Orb control come in, I am currently approaching your airspace in a ZAFT forces mobile suit, requesting entry permission, I wish to rendezvous with the ZAFT ship Minerva, please give me the go ahead," He said.

While Athrun waited for a response, the Orb forces considered his very presence a threat. Two Orb pilots ran to their Murasame's. The white and orange machines rolled across the airfield launch pads. Athrun continued to make contact, his mood bordering on impatience.

"Orb control, Orb control do you read me? Come in."

Athrun curiously looked at his radar, showing the two Murasame's flying towards him. He widened his eyes when his alarms began to blare.

"They're locking on?"

One of the Murasame's opened fire with its machine guns, sending a flurry of bullets flying towards the Saviour. Athrun easily dodged the gunfire with a simply roll.

"Orb control come in, what the hell is going on here?" He asked.

The Murasame's opened the hatches on their bellies, launching a stream of missiles. Again Athrun dodged the attacks and again he tried to make contact.

"Orb control I'm not attacking your nation, why are you firing at me, ORB CONTROL!" He yelled.

Athrun rolled to the right, the two missiles following him both slammed together. Both Murasame's flew after the ZAFT machine, firing missiles and beam rifles.

"And we're supposed to believe that?" One of the pilots asked, sceptical of Athrun's presence. "Now that Orb had joined the World Security Treaty Organisation, the Plants are an enemy state," He stated before firing his machine guns.

The Saviour dodged the gunfire and Athrun widened his eyes in shock at the news.

"We're not at war with ZAFT yet, but at the same time there's no way we're allowing you entry," The pilot explained.

"Orb is in an alliance with the Atlantic Federation, Cagalli must have been unable to control the other ministers," Athrun said to himself. "I need to speak with a government official, this is citizen number 2500745, Alex Dino of the Athha family, get me the representative!"

The Orb pilots frowned in frustration as the Saviour continued to dodge their attacks. Athrun knew that he could hold his own against the pilots, but he was more concerned about the Minerva and Orb. He hoped that Cagalli was still there to verify his Orb citizenship. His focus turned partly to the radio again as someone spoke over it.

"I am a government official, I cannot authorise your request," The voice said.

"This is an emergency, please you must," Athrun said.

"I'm afraid that is impossible," The official said.

Athrun turned his attention back to his pursuers as they continued to fire at him.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, but only an idiot would use a ship that isn't even docked here anymore as an excuse," One of the pilots said.

"The Orb forces don't play games," The other pilot smirked as he targeted the Saviour.

"Damn it," Athrun muttered.

The Saviour transformed to Mobile suit mode, astonishing the two Orb pilots. One of the pilots changed to mobile suit mode, aiming his rifle at the Saviour. But the Gundam and its pilot were much more superior. Athrun fired his beam rifle, easily disabling the Murasame's weapon arm. The Saviour flipped in midair as the other Murasame charged towards it. Firing his rifle into the back of the machine, Athrun disabled the Murasame's thrusters. As both pilots looked at his machine in shock, Athrun took this as his chance to escape. He transformed the Saviour to aircraft mode and flew in the direction he came from. Having failed to reach the Minerva at Orb, he decided to reach it at Carpenteria.

"Cagalli, Damn it!" He growled in frustration.

Jeremiah peered out of his binoculars, whistling at the scene the Saviour had made. He smiled, for ZAFT had given him another reason to speed up the production of his new machines.

* * *

While Jeremiah's team worked on the Liberty, another Earth Alliance ship sailed across the ocean. Neo Roanoke stood on the bridge, looking out at the deck. Stellar sat on the edge of the deck, looking out at the peaceful waves. Across from her sat Jone, whom held a similar expression on his face. He cast a spiteful look at two officers staring at Stellar. Auel walked out of the elevator, grinning as he saw his two fellow pilots sitting on the edge of the ship.

"Yo, don't tell me you two idiots are lost in the ocean," He said.

Jone smiled as he got off the floor.

"Stellar, I think Neo wants to see us," Jone nudged Stellar.

Stellar looked up with an excited expression as she got off the floor. Lucifer and Stark both stood at the elevator, Stark held a fierce glare across his face.

"I can't believe the rabble were let out of their cages," Stark said.

"Rabble, as I recall you haven't had an exceptional combat record either," Auel laughed. He hated the Ultimate Extended, especially Stark. The egotistical bastard always looked down on the other extended.

"You want to come say that to my face?" Stark asked, a glare crossing his face.

The brunette's fists tightened fiercely; even veins started to appear on Stark's hand as he prepared to attack Auel.

"No, your breath stinks too much, besides we've got to meet with Neo," Auel chuckled.

"Fine, go and run back to your den **mother!**"

Stark grinned as Auel suddenly froze. Auel's eyes went wide as he gripped the sides of his head.

"Mother…mother no, mothers in danger, let me help mother!" Auel's voice was stricken with panic.

Lucifer sighed as he walked over to Auel. Once he got on a rant about his mother he would always say the word die, and that would set Stellar off. The Ultimate Extended grabbed Auel's head and slammed him into the wall. Stellar stepped back in shock as her friend fell to the floor.

"Why did you hurt Auel?" Stellar asked.

The older man huffed at the innocence in Stellar's eyes.

"He's simply inferior," Lucifer said.

Stark laughed harder than he ever had before, gripping his sides in sick amusement. Tears practically fell down his face as he revelled in Auel's pain. Jone grit his teeth together as he looked between Auel and Stark. The victim moaned in pain, while the bully rolled his head back in laughter. Stellar widened her eyes as Jone let out a furious roar. The blue haired man punched Stark across the face, knocking him to the floor.

"You're a disgusting man, taking pleasure out of someone else's pain," Jone growled.

Both men glared at one another, ready to break off into a full on fistfight.

"Damn you, looking down at me like that," Stark muttered. "YOU THINK YOUR BETTER HUH! YOUR NO DIFFERENT THAN…"

"Stark, enough, we have a meeting to get to," Lucifer said.

He grabbed Stark's hand, lifting him to his feet. As the two men walked onto the elevator, Jone slammed his fist into the wall. He looked at his hand and sighed. It didn't matter what those two said; Jone knew he was different.

'I'm not like him,' he thought.

Meanwhile in the mobile suit hanger of John-Paul Jones; Darcel Archer stared up at the Slaughter Gundam intensely. Its Trans-Phase shift Armour was turned causing it to look like a dull grey colour. Darcel hated it when the Slaughter was dull grey; to him it meant not being 'alive'.

The pale blonde would never admit this to anyone, not even his fellow extended, but lately he been developing a sort of a 'kinship' with the Slaughter. The Extended felt like the Gundam could relate to what being on the battle field felt like. They were both made for the same purpose killing, destroying, and maiming. Darcel liked… no _loved it. _Fighting to him was the drugs he was given in his inhaler; addictive. That was what being alive was about after all. At least… he thought it was.

* * *

The scene was peaceful and tranquil. Gulls flew across the sky; while the water remained ripple less. But the scene-taking place underneath the water was far from tranquil. Inside the submerged Archangel, the gathered crew, or at least the main crewmembers stood on the bridge. Cagalli was dressed in her military uniform, looking at each of her friends in disapproval and anger.

"You idiots, that was a really dumb move," She said. "You guys should know better than that, kidnapping a country's representative from her own wedding ceremony is practically international terrorism, are you lunatics? Who on Earth asked you to do something as brainless as this?" She asked.

"Miss Cagalli…" Lacus paused as she thought of anything she could say.

"Yeah we know, it was a bit reckless but…"

"But we really had no other choice," Kira interrupted Andy.

Cagalli turned to Kira, the anger in her eyes still not fading.

"These are crazy times Cagalli, and if you insist on doing stupid things as well then this world is without a doubt heading for all kinds of trouble," Kira explained.

"What stupid things?" Cagalli asked.

"Kira," Lacus said, lightly touching Kira's shoulder.

"Somebody has to say it Lacus," Kira sighed.

Cagalli huffed in fury as Kira looked at her, his eyes calm as always.

"What stupid things? I am Orb's chief representative, I have so many things to worry about and think about, and I do think about them!" Cagalli explained.

"Do you think it's a good idea to side with the Atlantic Federation and that it's really in Orb's best interest if you get married to Mr Seiran? Do you believe these things Cagalli?" Kira asked.

"O-of course I do, why wouldn't I want to get married now?" Everyone knew that Cagalli didn't believe the words she was speaking. "I have no other choice, Yuna and Unato told me and all the other ministers said it too, we can't let Orb burn again!"

As Cagalli spoke, she thought of Shinn Asuka's cold eyes. They were the eyes of a victim made that way because of Orb's state in the last war.

"So I decided, this was the path I chose to stop all that from happening," Cagalli said.

"So its all right for another country to burn so long as Orb stays safe?" The bluntness of Kira's words shocked Cagalli. "And is it all right for the Plants to burn, or any other country to burn so long as Orb is safe?"

"No but…"

"And what about the things your father said," Kira was one of the few people that could win a debate with Cagalli.

Very few could reduce Cagalli to tears. There was her father, whom would always lecture her and scold her. Then there was Gekido Jaeger; someone who was actually mean to her, yet whenever he seriously yelled at her it was always for the right reasons. Finally there was Kira and Athrun, both of whom never needed to shout.

"I…I tried," Tears began to fall down Cagalli's face.

"I know how hard it's been for you Cagalli, I shouldn't have waited so long before coming to help you and I'm sorry for that. But I don't think it's gotten to the point yet where we can't fix things," Kira explained.

The others nodded their heads at Kira's words.

"I know that there's so much we still don't understand, but one thing I do know is that there's still time to set things right," Kira reached into his pocket.

Much to Cagalli's shock, Kira took out the ring that Athrun had given her.

"It happens to everyone, sometimes we choose the wrong path and we never get to where we wanted to go," Kira said.

Cagalli began to choke on her tears as she gripped the ring tightly. She fell to her knees, letting her tears fall. Kira knelt in front of his sister, stroking her hair as he comforted her.

"Don't worry, we'll find the right answer together," He said calmly.

The others weren't happy at how it was achieved, but they were at least relieved to have Cagalli on their side. Once Cagalli had dried her tears, she took a seat at the CIC communications post. Everyone stood or sat in separate corners of the bridge. Lacus and Kira recounted to Cagalli the arrival of the Sentient Purpose. Her depressed mood from earlier was quickly replaced with astonishment.

"The Purpose is back? What about Gekido?" She asked.

"I don't know, but I think the Gekido in the Plants, the one that stopped the nuclear assault is a fake," Kira said.

"Kira might be right, I know it sounds cold but Gekido was basically "engineered" in a lab, its possible that someone repeated the process to create an exact duplicate," John explained.

"There is also the matter of these colony disappearances, Sensou might have it covered but our mole did tell us that Casvall's recently been very aggressive lately," Kai said.

"What happened to Casvall?" Cagalli asked.

"He wounded a pilot by stabbing his beam sabre into the machine just enough to cut the pilots gut, I'm no doctor but I assume it would have been a long and very painful death."

Cagalli sighed as she lowered her head.

"You're worried that Casvall might become the next big threat," Kira said.

"I'm not saying it's certain and I'm not saying he's gonna be on Patrick Zala or Durandal's level, but let's consider it for a moment, this guy could be better than you Kira, who would stop him if he did decide to go rogue?" Kai asked.

"Another pilot with the investigation team, one specific pilot; Amuro Ray!" Kira said.

John and Andy nodded their heads, having heard of that man's reputation.

"But we still shouldn't give up hope right?" Lacus asked.

The others however lowered their heads. Even Cagalli herself held doubts over the sanity and future of her older adopted brother.

* * *

At Carpentaria, many of the Minerva's crew had disembarked to enjoy an at least temporary break. Most of the crewmembers had gone to the mall. Branden and Kojiro were at a café overlooking the nearby town. The café itself was deserted, with only the waiter and chef there.

"How long do you think we'll get before we go back out there?" Branden asked.

"A day at the most, with the war escalating we'll need as many forces out there as we can muster," Kojiro said.

The two young men turned to attention to Rey as he walked into the room. He regarded them with a nod before taking a seat at the piano. Kojiro and Branden both raised their eyebrows in mild shock as the pilot began playing a melody on the piano. It was a peaceful son that calmed even Branden. When Rey delivered the closing notes, Branden turned to the window and huffed.

"Funny ain't it?" He asked.

"How so?" Kojiro enquired.

"There's probably a hundreds things we could be doing better, but we always seem to find ourselves on the battlefield," Branden sighed.

"We are destined for battle, or at least I am, both in terms of my genetics and my moral compass my existence is best served as a soldier, serving my country faithfully," Kojiro explained.

"Even with the state of Orb now?" Branden asked.

"The Seiran's do not control Orb, they are the hostile force that has taken it over, and the Archangel crew, well we can say that their intentions are good but logical? I don't know about that."

Kojiro finished his drink while Branden ordered another round. Rey played on the piano again, enjoying the small break he had. On the other side of the mall, Luna and Meyrin were both getting their "supplies" for future deployments.

"The Minerva's repairs will be finished pretty soon right?" Meyrin asked.

"Yeah, that's right," Luna said.

"Okay then, so who knows when we'll get the order to head out, I'd better stock up while I have the chance," Meyrin said as she picked out a few perfume bottles.

Luna shook her head at her sister in disapproval; she had a bigger pile of cleaning products and make up than she did.

"Whatever, I'm not stopping you if you really think you need all that," Luna sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Meyrin asked, huffing as she took her stuff to the counter.

Joe was still at the Minerva, carrying out exercises with the Kampfer and Efreet. He ran simulations in both suits in order to increase his performance levels for both. Sheryl sat in her room, her lights dimmed as she knelt by her desk. Two picture frames were put on the desk. Since Sheryl couldn't visit her son's grave she would have to pay her respects in her room. The second picture frame was of her former lover, her son's father.

'May you both find the peace you couldn't find in life,' She thought as she put her hands together.

Inside his room, Silver Mask's helmet rested at his bedside. He laid down in his bed, catching up on his sleeping hours, as well as eating some ration bars. His focus then turned to the phone vibrating inside his bedside cabinet. Opening the drawer, Silver Mask opened the phone and read the text.

"The Archangel's away," He read.

The man behind the mask smirked before putting the phone back on the table. He reached for the mask, preparing himself to get back to work. Vincent himself was doing as much work as he could before he'd give the order to go out again. He stood in one of the hangers, looking at the new machines and numerous requests.

"Reinforcements in Southern Africa, supply drop in Europe, fifty transfer requests from the Asgard base, twenty from the Niffleheim station, equipment resupply and reinforcement request from the Colonial investigation team," Vincent read off the list on his PDA.

He assigned the requests for supplies and had the transfer requests put into reinforcement teams for Europe and Southern Africa. But Vincent was stuck on the colonial side, he knew that Natarle's group would need help but at the same time ZAFT and frontline troops needed support as well.

"Put development of the Rezel on hold, continue to maintain our supply of Neo Raptors. Also put the Jegan into limited production, we'll be able to save money for supplies and other experimental mobile suits. I want two Salamis Kais sent to support the Colonial Investigation team, include a GM Cannon type 2, five GM's and spare machines for Guss and Ray. Put the RX-81 Light and Heavy Armour type on one of the Salamis Kais and have them sent to the CI team, is there any news from CB?" Vincent asked.

"Mr Erde sent a message that he and his team will remain neutral but will offer relief aid and will carry out their armed interventions on the Alliance forces, but your request for a covert intervention against Orb has been denied," One of the mechanics explained.

"Fine, but I trust Mr Erde left at least some equipment for us," Vincent said.

"Yes, he left a sword that he said would easily replace the Burning components, but sir what are you planning to do with the components?" The mechanic asked.

"Scrap parts, the same for the Rezel, leave where the parts are assigned to Chairwoman Alster, I'll take the Rx-81 Standard," Vincent said as he looked up at his new machine.

The RX-81's had similar looks to the GM series mobile suits. But the RX-81 Standard was a bigger mobile suit with thicker blue chest armour and two beam sabres instead of a single one. Vincent raised his eyes slightly as Nia walked towards him.

"Sir, I'm here to report for duty, use me as you will," Nia said, giving the standard ZAFT salute.

"Nia…I mean Miss Holland you should enjoy your break while you can, we'll return to the battlefield soon," Vincent explained.

"I've already put in a shore leave denial request that Captain Gladys accepted sir, I wish to help however I can."

Vincent sighed as he rubbed his head.

"Permission to speak freely sir," Nia said.

"Go ahead."

"I wish to know why you are not in the command centre, putting yourself on top of your soldiers would give you a clearer view of the situation. You also wouldn't overload yourself with more duties, you'd be free of the concerns of a regular pilot," Nia explained.

"I'm a pilot, a fighter, I'll be that way for as long as I can, I'm not going to be the kind of leader that abandons his men to the battlefield," Vincent said.

"Then with all due respect sir, leave choices such as supply requests and troop assignment to senior officers, shit they wouldn't be doing anything if you took on all the responsibilities yourself!"

Vincent blinked at Nia in confusion as she put a hand to her mouth.

"Sorry sir, sorry if I spoke disrespectfully," She said.

Vincent smiled as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Thank you for your honesty Miss Holland, please don't hesitate to speak your mind to me in the future. As for your duties, please help my engineering staff transfer my new machine to the Minerva," Vincent motioned to the RX and its equipment packs.

"What about the Rezel sir?" Nia asked.

"It's a good machine, but I need something that'll allow me to balance speed and power, grunt type units like the GM and RX are exactly what I need," Vincent said.

Nia nodded her head, understanding Vincent's point. She climbed into the RX and activated it. Walking the machine across the hanger, Nia began assisting the engineers in transferring it to the Minerva.

* * *

The Purpose paced around inside the Minerva. It took a few looks down the launch catapult, seeing the sun and hearing the people working outside. A small part of the machine "wanted" to go outside. Like a child it lowered its head as it also considered the reactions the ZAFT soldiers would show. Ringing its wrists, the Purpose took a few steps towards the catapult. Youlan and Vino both looked at the machine in confusion as it promptly walked away from the hatch.

"This thing can't make its mind up," Youlan said.

Vino nodded his head and jumped up in shock as the hanger shook. The Purpose sat on the ground, resting its hands against its knees.

"Do you think we're going to go back to space?" Vino asked.

"It would make sense, the Minerva was designed to fight in space after all, and even with the presence of the Sho Nenshou Kokoro the Plants need as many space ships protecting it," Youlan explained.

"Yeah, do you think everyone back in the Plants is okay, I mean the Alliance did use nuclear weapons, I'm worried about my parents," Vino sighed.

"And your girlfriend," Youlan smirked.

"Shut up about that, you know I don't have one, why do you always steer the conversation in that direction?" Vino asked.

Youlan laughed while the Purpose looked on in interest. It noted that teenage boys were sensitive about mates and perhaps mating in general. The Purpose then raised its head as it sensed an incoming machine. Outside, Shinn widened his eyes at the appearance of the Saviour. Athrun switched the machine to mobile suit mode as he landed it on the Minerva's launch catapult. With the machine transferred inside the Minerva, a small number of the crew gathered around it. They included Vino and Youlan, Lunamaria, Meyrin and from a distance Silver Mask. Athrun lowered himself to the floor, removing his helmet to the shocked audience.

"Quite an interesting development," Silver Mask said.

"Recognition number 285002, Athrun Zala, Faith special forces team requesting to board," Athrun said.

'Sounds like he practiced that beforehand' Silver Mask grunted.

"Hey did you guys see the new machine…oh its you," Shinn said as he approached the group.

'Here we go,' Silver Mask chuckled.

"What is this, what the hell's going on here?" Shinn asked.

"Zip it, learns some manners and watch your language, he's a member of Faith," Lunamaria said.

She and the other promptly saluted, while Shinn looked at the badge on Athrun's uniform. Silver Mask narrowed his glowing eye at the symbol.

'Durandal, what could you be planning?' He wondered.

Shinn looked around, dumping his bags with Meyrin. Before Meyrin could protest, Shinn fixed his uniform and saluted Athrun.

"Is the captain on the bridge?" Athrun asked.

"I believe she is…Athrun Zala," Joe said as he stepped out of his machine.

"I'll take…"

"I'll escort you to her sir," Lunamaria interrupted her sister.

"Thank you," Athrun said.

"Are you back with ZAFT now?" Shinn asked.

Athrun stopped, turning to face Shinn.

"It looks that way doesn't it?" He asked.

"Change of heart?"

Athrun didn't answer the question and merely walked away with Luna.

"Wow, and I thought the Earth Alliance were our enemies," Joe muttered.

Silver Mask walked to the elevator, passing the Purpose Mark 2. The Sentient machine looked down at him with interest, tilting its head slightly. Athrun and Luna were both taking a separate elevator, the one closest to Talia's office. As the elevator went up, Athrun told Luna of his experience with Orb.

"I don't know what is going on with that country, its sad actually because I actually used to admire Cagalli Yula Athha, I admired her strength. But with everything she's done now I'm not so sure," Luna explained.

"What happened?" Athrun asked.

"She went and signed a treaty with the Atlantic Federation, and then went and married some weirdo," Luna said.

Athrun dropped his suitcase, widening his eyes in shock.

"Married!" he said.

"I don't know much about it, I think it was a marriage of convenience and apparently she was abducted as the ceremony took place," Luna explained.

Athrun sighed as he walked into Talia's office. He made it a specific focus to catch up on recent events. The Minerva would stay on Earth to assist ZAFT forces in Gibraltar, as well as rebel forces fighting against Earth Alliance rule. Talia would of course hold seniority, but she virtually held the same authority Athrun had. She too had been given the Faith Special Forces badge.

'What could you be planning Gilbert?' She wondered as she looked at the badge.

When exiting Talia's office, Athrun thought of everything he had missed. Cagalli and Kira were both missing, while Orb was now officially his enemy.

"She'll be all right, after all she's with that friend of yours!"

Athrun turned, stepping back in mild shock. Silver Mask stood against the wall, his arms crossed and his eye glowing.

"You really care about her don't you, got no idea what you two were up to, but she must have had a significant effect on you to change you this much," Silver Mask explained.

"Change me, wait what do you know?" Athrun asked.

"The Freedom kidnapped Cagalli from her wedding, just before she could say her vows, so technically she and Seiran are not married. I wonder, what will our relationship with the Archangel be when we next meet, will it be anything like it was in the last war? Who knows?" Silver Mask sighed.

Silver Mask walked away, leaving Athrun shocked as he came to a realisation. He knew now who Silver Mask was. The masked man however smirked, leaving Athrun to wonder whether he was telling the truth or being deceptive. Walking to his machine, Silver Mask climbed into the Gundam and pressed a button on the panel.

"Are you still there?" He asked.

"Yes, they have no idea that I am watching them," A familiar voice said on the other end.

"Good, keep me updated by radio or text as always…Biggs!" Silver Mask chuckled as he cut the line.

He crossed his arms together and waited for his next battle.

* * *

Dagger Thanos patiently waited by his phone. Lain stood outside with some of Thanos's other pilots. Shuttles made their way to Thanos's outer space Storm base; all six shuttles flew without an escort. It was the lure that Thanos needed to ensure they had an excuse to attack the Atlantic Federation. He tapped his finger against his desk, waiting for the phone to ring. Camera crews waited to record a speech he had prepared, while in space, civilians inside the shuttle huddled together. They too were praying that the Alliance would attack them; giving the Thanos faction the excuse they needed to declare open war on the member states of the Earth Alliance.

Zack Tempest looked between the unarmed shuttles and the Earth Alliance ships slowly approaching them. He had a sick feeling in his stomach, as if something bad was about to happen.

"Mayura, I'm going to go out," He said.

"Is something wrong Zack?" Mayura asked.

"Everything's wrong, Earth survives Armageddon and instead of fixing the problems that start it, humanity does the same thing all over again. I'm beginning to understand why men like Gihren Zabi and Casvall have lost faith in humanity, I'll take my Neo Raptor and see what Thanos is pulling," Zack explained.

The young man didn't even bother to put his flight suit as he jumped into his Neo Raptor. He took a beam launcher off of a rack on the wall and flew out of the catapult. Zack looked at his side screen, some ZAFT and Sensou ships were also watching the scene. The Sho Nenshou Kokoro floated away from the ships, its arms folded in a manner that was similar to the stance its pilot was in. Gekido opened his eyes and looked at the scene. The Forbidden and Calamity both floated near a Sensou ship, with the Winged Wolf Gundam looking out at the shuttles.

"Please, don't be a squad of trigger happy idiots," Its pilot said.

He cursed as the Dagger L's began raising their beam rifles.

"Its hard to resist, a target that seems defenceless, the Alliance destroys my space station and cripples our presence in space, while we lose many of the civilians that support us, no one is left to know about whether the Alliance tried to make contact first or simply started shooting. But there is the mistake they are making, my space station is far from defenceless and neither are the shuttles of those whom support me," Dagger Thanos explained to his troops present.

Zack came to a halt as he watched one of the Dagger L's fire its rifle. A Geara Doga prototype flew into the path of the shuttle, taking the beam.

"NOOO!" Zack yelled.

He felt a surge of Newtype energy, the final moments of a Newtype pilot. Geara Doga Psychommo test types began deactivating their cloaking devices, flying in front of the shuttles. Zack rubbed his head as he felt the presences of all the pilots. They all "felt" the same.

"It can't be, they're Puru Clones, that's what Thanos was up to when he went to Jupiter, he was after Newtype Lab research to create a Psychommo system. But he also wanted to recruit Puru clones left behind after the war," Zack said to himself.

The Geara Doga's launched their funnels, shooting at the Dagger L's attacking the station. One of the Puru units fired her beam cannon, hitting a Dagger in the chest. But her machine was promptly stabbed in the chest. The leading Slaughter Dagger shot down two more Puru units and stabbed another in the chest. Zack lifted up his launcher and fired several shots into the Dagger mobile suits. He cursed as two more of the Puru's were shot.

"Damn it, WHY DO YOU PEOPLE NEVER LEARN!" Zack yelled.

He threw his rifle aside and drew his beam sabre. Flying into the battlefield, Zack deflected several beam shots. He dodged the explosion of a funnel and kicked a Dagger, saving the Puru it was about to stab. But a beam flew into the red machine, blowing it up in front of Zack.

"Puru's, listen to me, don't throw your lives away like this, Dagger Thanos is just using you, if you ever want to be happy you have to live for yourselves, not die for someone's cause. Answer me, why are you still serving others, you don't need to live like that!" Zack explained as he dodged several beam shots.

The Neo Raptor stopped; tilting its head as two more Puru's were blown up. Three of the Geara Doga's flew side-by-side, firing funnels and rifles at their targets. They created a trail of junked Dagger's as they made their way to the Earth Alliance ship that attacked the shuttles. The ship fired its main guns, hitting two of the Geara Doga's. Zack flew as fast as he could, leaving a trail of Graviton dust behind him.

"Geara Doga pilot, get out of there, your no match for that ship alone," Zack said.

The Geara Doga commanded its funnels to fire at the ship's guns. Even though the funnels hit their mark, the Geara Doga's arms and legs suffered horrendous damage because of the return fire.

"Stop this now, there's still time for you to live your life the way you want to, you don't have to be a slave anymore," New Type energy flowed from Zack's body as his presence went beyond his mobile suit.

He looked directly inside the Geara Doga, seeing a little girl of Fifteen years. She looked up at him, her expression free of fear and hesitation.

"I am living," She said. "I'm dying for a cause that I believe in, I'm living for myself!"

Zack gasped as the girl generated her own Newtype power. She opened her arms as the EA ship fired its missiles. Zack reached out to the suit as it exploded before his eyes. He then let out a furious yell as he flew at the EA ship; he swung his sabre round, slashing the bridge in half.

"Damn the Alliance, why couldn't they just stand down, they played right into Thanos's hand," Zack said.

He deactivated his sabre and let out another yell. Dagger Thanos opened his eyes as his phone rang. A solemn expression crossed his face as he listened to the report from the shuttle pilots.

'Puru Clones, your sacrifices will not be in vain,' Dagger thought as he stood up.

The cameramen turned to him and his solemn expression turned to the deepest frown.

"People of Earth, I am Admiral Dagger Thanos of the Storm faction, I have tried to lead my people into independence, away from the Plants and the Earth Alliance. But they have refused to accept our wish for independence, they try to force their greed on others and with their greed they attacked seemingly defenceless shuttles without reason or warning. That space station is no military base; it is a sanctuary for all those that wish independence from the Earth Alliance's ignorant rule. If you are a Coordinator prosecuted against simply because of your genetic status, then face the Storm, if you are tired of ignorant politicians and a world where men can so casually kill millions with the push of a button…then face the Storm. People of Earth, get on board this storm of change or get out of its way, we will try not to catch you in the storm you but if you support the Alliance when they clearly don't deserve your loyalty then be prepared to see the Alliance fall in a blaze of righteous fury over their senseless actions!"

Dagger spoke with passion and fury in his voice, as if he was speaking to every ignorant person in the world.

"I am Dagger Thanos and I officially declare war on the Earth Alliance!"

**Next Chapter 24: Struggle in the Indian Ocean**

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, more teases to who Silver Mask is, or could he be deceiving Athrun? Anyway we're back to the main storyline of the show as the Minerva crew head out, running into the Extended again.


	25. Struggle in the indian ocean

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Sorry the update took so long, I've been distracted by my new job, which gives me less hours for writing, plus I'm playing the new Mass Effect 3 game. Anyway here's the next chapter, with appearences from other author's OC's and some mobile suit nostalgia as we introduce the Thanos factions amphibious mobile suits.

Editing credit goes to 00virtuezero, whose also responsible for Darcel Archer and Branden Kamal's stories. Enjoy

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 24: Struggle in the Indian ocean

Orb was burning and the Gundams were flying across the sky. Vincent felt reminded of that day years ago as he marched the First Gundam across the beach. He blocked gunfire from ORB Astrays and fired back with his beam rifle. The Astrays backed away as the beam fire hit their shields. Vincent then fired his Vulcan's, striking the Astrays between the eyes. He aimed his rifle and fired shots that blew away their heads. His breathing grew heavy as he watched the flames spread around the forest. Sweat ran down his face and his hands trembled.

"Is there anyone out there?" He asked over the radio.

Silence was his only reply. He looked up and widened his eyes as the Devine Gundam flew out of the sky. The machine drew out its heat rods, swinging them towards the First. Vincent flew the Gundam backwards, landing on the rocks between the beach and the forest. Drawing his beam sabre, Vincent faced down the Devine Gundam. He could hear Saint Yuri laughing inside the machine. Squeezing the controls in anger, Vincent yelled as he flew forward. He swung his sabre downwards, just as Saint swung his heat rods around. Both machines slid past one another, their weapons outstretched. The First's arm fell off, slamming into the ground. Vincent turned and watched as the Devine Gundam exploded. He breathed a sigh of relief, believing his battle was over.

"Why did you get involved?"

His eyes swung open as he turned to the sky. Flying above the First was a Gundam. Vincent couldn't make out its design; alls he saw was the light of its pink energy wings. He widened his eyes as he saw the Gundam pull an antiship sword off its back. It held the sword in front of its face as the glow of its wings intensified. An inhuman scream echoed across the radio channels as the Gundam dived towards the First. Vincent tried to move the First Gundam, but it refused to budge. He looked at his view screen; widening his eyes as the enemy Gundam got closer and closer towards him.

"Come on move," Vincent growled.

The glow in the First Gundam's eyes faded as the Antiship sword tore through its chest.

* * *

Vincent woke up in a cold sweat, clutching his forehead. He looked around the room, sighing for he was safely inside the Minerva. Falling back onto his pillow, Vincent reached for the notebook at his bedside table. He flipped to the pages of Gekido's advice.

_When plagued by visions get your head out of your little dream world and do something useful!_

He chuckled as he slammed the book shut. Picking up his jacket, Vincent walked out of his room.

* * *

"Hey, don't just ignore me!"

Joe poked his head out of the Efreet as he watched Lunamaria follow Athrun. The blue haired pilot was taken aback by Luna's forward attitude as she jumped onto the elevator with him. Branden and Kojiro were both using similar elevators to put themselves at different levels of their mobile suits. Kojiro was polishing the cameras behind the Kenshin's eyepieces, while Branden climbed into the Murasama's cockpit. He ran a standard power test by putting the machine through its activation process.

"All the readings are good on this side Branden, how are things on your end?" Sheryl asked.

"My control sticks are a little loose, get one of your guys to readjust them," Branden said.

"My guys are swamped right now, I can get one of Vino's guys to make the adjustments!"

"I don't want any Zafties working on my machine," Branden growled.

"So long as they're qualified it doesn't really matter who works on your machine Branden," Kojiro said, pressing a finger to his headset.

"As a matter of principal I'm not letting any coordinators work on my machine!"

Athrun climbed out of the Saviour, watching as Vincent walked into the hanger. He immediately pushed a button on the console, sending his elevator downwards. When the platform was close enough to the ground, Athrun jumped to the floor and walked over to Vincent.

"Commander Rach, I'm sure you have an explanation for that machine being here," Athrun said, pointing at the Purpose.

"Didn't Captain Gladys already explain to you that the machine gained sentience?" Vincent asked.

"She didn't say it gained sentience, and that fact has yet to be proven scientifically," Athrun explained.

"Do you know what it takes to be sentient?"

The question took Athrun aback; he lowered his head slightly as Vincent chuckled.

"That machine helped us, give it a chance to prove itself, just like the Archangel crew gave you and Dearka a chance," Vincent said.

"All right, you make a good point, but try listening to my point as well Vincent. That machine could have any number of programs built into it, don't put too much trust in something that might switch allegiance at the push of a button," Athrun explained.

Vincent nodded his head, sighing, as he understood Athrun's point.

"I understand Athrun, but keep in mind that in the grand scheme of things I outrank you, so trust my judgement!"

Athrun raised his hand into a salute as Vincent walked away. While the pilots worked on their machines, Talia Gladys carried out a phone call in her office. She was speaking with Noah Bagal, one of many commanders that had recently been transferred to Earth. The topic of their briefing was not just their transfers, but also the addition to the Minerva.

"One of the Purpose Mark 2's? Doesn't Commander Rach see the possibility of a deception?" Noah asked.

"No, he seems to have faith that the AI truly has gained sentience, I wanted to discuss this matter with the chairman but once he heard that Commander Rach thought of the machine as a sentient being he simply stated, "let the machine prove itself in the environment it was born to thrive in"," Talia explained.

Noah raised his eyebrows slightly, he knew that Durandal could be a poetic person, but having faith in a machine was strange.

"I do have concerns which I've put forward to the R&D board, understandably they have concerns that this could turn into another Satellite Fiasco," Talia said.

"You've gone behind Commander Rach's back about this I presume?" Noah asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Even you must understand the concern we have."

"You mean irrational fear bought on by one case, kind of reminds me of what happened back in World War 2, a lot of American citizens of Japanese Descent were regarded with suspicion and hostility after the Pearl Harbour attack, you don't seriously believe that every AI will come to the same conclusion do you? The original Purpose apparently came to regard the Archangel crew as its friends and even gave its "life" to protect Gekido Jaeger and Lacus Clyne," Noah explained.

Talia nodded her head, though she wasn't thoroughly convinced. She had heard of the rumours surrounding the original Purpose mobile suit. Even after its cockpit was destroyed, the Purpose fought on to protect Gekido and Lacus. Lacus herself requested that the incident be isolated, but rumours still circulated regarding the Purpose and its revolutionary AI. Numerous scientists, including the head of the mobile suit development division of ZAFT's R&D had explored the possibility of AI's in mobile suits. Though Sensou had shut down the Mobile Doll development project of the military organisation OZ, people within ZAFT still explored the theory of mobile suits controlled by an AI. Talia herself saw the benefit of AI's, but also the potential risk.

"There's no telling how the original Purpose would have developed if it had "survived" the first war," Talia said.

Noah shook his head and leant back into his seat.

"Now that we've gotten that issue out of the way I was wondering, how is Linda?" Talia asked.

The young man raised his eyebrows in mild confusion.

"I thought you two were estranged, as in you didn't care," Noah said.

"Linda and I rarely talk now, that doesn't mean we don't care, she still keeps in touch with my son as well," Talia stated, her voice taking on a dismissive tone.

"Well she's okay, she and the brothers transferred with me to the forces at Mahamul base, we're making numerous attempts to break into Gibraltar, but the Earth Alliance forces have recently added the forces of Bhishma Alhazard from Russia. That guy has an iron clad defence, he's had his forces form an "absolute" defensive line, which he specifically requested Gundam pilots to assist, our Intel suggests that he's added those Purpose Mark 2 units to his formation, making his defence supposedly unbreakable," Noah explained.

For the past few days, ZAFT forces had been trying to launch assaults against Earth Alliance forces in Gibraltar. At the head of the EA naval defence was Bhishma Alhazard. He sat inside his mobile suit, the Gepanzert Riese, also known as the Giant Duel. Hundreds of other Naval ships had formed up alongside Bhishma. Approaching the defensive line was a ZAFT fleet, escorted by submarine units. The Giant Duel activated its positron shield as the ZAFT ships launched vertical missiles. Bhishma remained calm as hundreds of missiles slammed into his suit. Under the water, Ash and Wasp type Ginn's were clashing with Deep Forbiddens. A GINN tried to swing its sword into a Deep Forbidden, only to get stabbed in the chest with the EA mobile suits trident. Two torpedoes zoomed across the water; one hit a GOOHN, before the second slammed into one of the ZAFT subs.

"Return fire!" Bhishma ordered.

The Buster Daggers stood on top of the Earth Alliance naval ships then lowered their weapons. Beams and missiles flew from the EA's side, lighting up the ZAFT front in a show of explosions. The Sword Purpose Mark 2 deactivated its Arc shield as it drew its anti-ship sword. It then dived towards the ZAFT naval ships, leading a squadron of Jet Dagger L's. Zakus and GINN's standing on top of the ZAFT ships fired their rifles at the aerial targets. The Sword Purpose landed on one of the ships, taking multiple rifle blasts to its head as it dragged its sword through the ship. One of the Zaku's drew its beam axe, only for the Purpose to cut it straight down the middle. Lifting the sword on its shoulder, the Purpose then swung around and crashed it through the bridge.

"Idiots, wasting men on an experiment, you should realise by now that you need more forces to break through my defence!" Bhishma growled as he flew over the ruined ZAFT boats.

He disarmed his mobile suit's missile launchers. The ZAFT forces were beaten; alls they were doing now was collecting survivors. Bhishma narrowed his eyes at the Sword Purpose as it stared at several ZAFT lifeboats. Suddenly, the Purpose began firing its Vulcan's, crushing the ZAFT survivors.

"PURPOSE UNIT 3 STAND DOWN!" Bhishma yelled.

Bhishma grit his teeth together, though the Purpose had followed his order, he shouldn't have had to give it an order in the first place. The machine was programmed to use necessary force in defence of key Earth Alliance forces. Bhishma wondered whether the machine was developing its own cold and perhaps bloodthirsty translation of "necessary force". He sighed; this was all a means to an end, and one path he could take to reach the infamous Phantom Pain group.

"She has to be there…she has to be," The giant muttered.

He focused his gaze on a family photo, specifically the small girl that had sat on his father's shoulders.

"For now, I will fight as I always have, fight until I have found the truth I seek!"

* * *

Jeremiah watched the scene unfold, shaking his head slightly at the brutality of his allies and the stupidity of his enemies. ZAFT had sent a small force to test Alhazard's defence in an attempt to find a weakness in the formation. Taking a drag of his cigar he turned to his assistant.

"Djibril is tightening the noose on his neck, and Hunter, the new head of Anaheim electronics, he's up to something as well. One of his machines has already gone rogue, how long is he going to delay in revealing his true intentions?" Jeremiah wasn't really asking a question, he was simply reflecting on how the war was escalating.

"Sir, may I speak freely?" Jessica asked.

"For gods sake Jess, you never need to ask, just talk to me," Jeremiah sighed.

"I think your decision to provide mobile suits for the EA also helps to escalate the conflict further. While true your machines are going to keep pilots safe and increase their strength, you will also unknowingly play a hand in the deaths of other ZAFT soldiers. Then there is ZAFT response to your machines, they'll step up their production line, leading to more powerful mobile suits and much more death," Jessica explained.

"Your welcome to go back to the Plants if you'd like, its your home after all," Jeremiah said.

"No sir, home is where you feel best, serving you is what puts me at my best…it is my Purpose I suppose," Jessica smiled.

Jeremiah returned the smile, widening his eyes slightly as Jessica grabbed his cigar. He dropped his jaw in horror as she threw the stick over the edge of the boat.

"But I wont be serving you for long if you insist of taking those cancer givers," She growled.

His shocked expression faded as he began to laugh.

"Jessica I'm glad I found you before ZAFT did, you've been a great help to me, I don't know what I'd do without you," He said.

Jessica nodded her head and looked back at the carnage of the battlefield. Alhazard wasn't the only person in the Earth Alliance that was providing a challenge for ZAFT. Likewise the Earth Alliance was facing obstacles from the side of the Thanos faction. Dagger Thanos had made his intentions regarding the Earth Alliance clear; he was to carry out full-scale war in retaliation of the attack on his orbital colony. Recently he had released a threat to the United Kingdom branch of the Alliance stating that he would attack all military districts of Portsmouth, and then move his forces to attack London and York. He had given the government a 24-hour window to clear out the major population centres of England and Scotland. In response the government launched the contingent from Portsmouth to attack the small fleet that Thanos had stationed on England's border.

"This is Squadron leader banes, we are nearing the target," The Dagger L commander said.

The jet type Dagger's flew towards the Thanos fleet. Zaku Kai's and Black Guaiz's lined up on the boots, raising whatever defensive weapons they had. The Dagger's raised their rifles, ready to fire. Suddenly, several beams shot out of the water, striking the aerial units.

"What the devil was that?" One of the EA soldiers asked.

The Zaku Kai's then fired their machine guns, hitting the scattered aerial forces with a storm of gunfire. Dagger sighed as he heard of the UK government's response.

"Ireland and Scotland will quickly rally their own forces, Parliament's made it clear that they're not going to give in to what they quote as "the demands of a terrorist"," Marcus explained.

Dagger let out a chuckle.

"A terrorist would quote scripture and blow up public transport or hit a politician, terrorists don't have Naval destroyers or the gall to launch a full scale invasion, commence the attack on Portsmouth harbour, use the new machines!" Dagger ordered.

Earth Alliance forces at Portsmouth waited for the arrival of Dagger's forces. Naval destroyers and mobile suits had formed their positions. Pilots and sailors alike were nervously awaiting their enemy's first wave. One of the Royal navy frigates suddenly split apart. A mobile suit suddenly flew out of the water. It had thick armour painted in shades of brown and beige. The mobile suit had long clawed arms and a particle beam on its belly.

"ALL UNITS BRACE FOR IMPACT!" The Captain of another frigate yelled.

The Gogg extended its claw, crushing the bridge of the frigate. Torpedoes floated across the water, then rose out of the water and crashed into the mobile suit forces at the harbour. Torpedoes and beams hit the Naval fleet before they could even launch their jets. A Strike Dagger walked through the smoke and its pilot widened his eyes. More amphibious mobile suits walked or hovered out of the water and onto the beaches. One of the smaller mobile suits had a blue and green armoured body and three spiked claws on each arm. The Z'Gok's opened their claws, revealing built in beam rifles. At the front of the amphibious mobile suits however was massive green mobile suit with huge clawed arms and beam cannons on its shoulders. The Zock fired its beam cannons, cutting through ten mobile suits with just four beams.

"Commencing drop," A Zaku Kai pilot said.

Vertical landing and take off aircraft opened their hatches and the familiar Zaku Kai's began parachuting towards the secured beach. Portsmouth had become a war zone, with Z'gok's and Gogg's dominating the Earth Alliance forces. A Z'Gok stabbed a Dagger in the chest with its claws, and then flew out of the way of a Duel Dagger's rail gun blast. The Duel Dagger drew its beam sabre, only for a particle beam to fly into its chest. An Acguy then extended its arms, punching the Duel Dagger and knocking it to the floor. A Dagger L bravely stood against a Zock, drawing its beam sabre. The Dagger rushed forward, raising its shield. But the Zock's beam easily cut through the Dagger's shield. Then the Zock crushed the Dagger's head with its claws, slamming the mobile suit into the side of a building.

"Idiots, every last one of you, never face off against a machine you know nothing about," The Zock pilot growled, more angry than pleased over the advantage he had.

* * *

Elsewhere, in the Indian Ocean, an Earth Alliance base was still under construction. Despite this however it still had a sizable, if inexperienced force of pilots. The Commander of the forces argued across the phone with none another than Neo Roanoke.

"We've barely managed to stay on schedule, even with the size of our labour force. Djibril expects me to have this place up and running by the end of the month, cant you do something to keep ZAFT away?" The man asked.

"That ship from ZAFT is approaching your area along with submariner units from ZAFT and Sensou respectively, our aim is to catch them off guard, trap them as they make their way through and for this we need a force that only your base can provide, this isn't a request Commander but an official order, rest assured though I'll be leaving two machines to protect you."

The commander shook his head as Neo cut the line. Outside of the command bunker, numerous pilots were climbing into their machines. One of them looked out to the camp that had been formed. It consisted of civilian workers that had been forced to work.

"Labour camps, that's just the start of it all," He whispered.

The man climbed into his machine, running through its activation system. His gaze turned to a picture near his controls.

"One more day Elizabeth and I get transferred away from this hellhole, I'll be closer to you my love," He said out loud.

"Careful Peterson, the guy who talks about his love life is usually certain to die!"

"Oh shut up Raph, you really know what to say in the right situation don't you?"

The one that had spoken, Raph leant his head back into his chair with a grin on his face. His brown hair had a grey streak in it, one that was apparently natural. He was the last Windam to launch, his eyes drifting back to the labour camp.

"Hopefully Sensou won't find out about that, doesn't really matter anyway, we're just soldiers after all, it'll be the pencil pusher who ordered us out that gets what's coming to him," Raph grinned.

30 Windams flew out of the hidden base. Its natural defences included formations of rocks and a shallow tide. The crew of the John Paul Jones ran across the deck as their own Windam's launched. Inside the crew also prepared for the launch of the Extended. Lucifer and Stark had already climbed into their machines, whilst the younger Extended and Jone spoke with Neo.

"Don't look so down Stellar, Lyna, we'll be sure to get plenty of kills in for you," Auel grinned.

"Both of our machines are incapable of aerial or amphibious movement, it is logical for us to stay behind and protect our frontline base," Lyna explained.

"We'll be ready to support you if you two need it," Jone said.

"That will not be necessary," Stellar and Lyna said together.

A sweat drop ran down the back of Jone's head while Auel and Sting both held their chests, doing their best not to laugh. Neo smiled at the two girls, a smile that quickly dropped as one of the scientists walked towards him.

"Captain, it concerns Archer," The lab tech said.

Neo walked to the labs and widened his eyes at what he saw. Several Lab techs were trying to Darcel down. He yelled like a wild animal, foam dripping from his mouth as Newtype energy surged from his body.

"How long has this been going on?" Neo asked.

"Five minutes sir, we've tried administering more drugs but it just fuels his insanity now, he kept on saying "it is close, the lost child is close" and then there's his rants about that Gundam with the blades, the one that was stolen from Phantom Pain years ago by our renegade operative Kamal," The scientist explained.

"Branden Kamal, I've heard of his actions during the black ops operation in Jupiter as well as his subsequent departure from the EA, you believe that he is the pilot of the machine?"

"Yes, Kamal showed physical signs for the potential to survive Biological CPU enhancements but Azrael felt that psychologically it would make more sense for him to be part of the Blue Cosmos training program. Yet he's working with ZAFT, it doesn't make any sense, Kamal was proven to be one of the few subjects that showed a hundred percent loyalty to Blue Cosmos and a guaranteed hatred for coordinators."

"Times change," Neo said.

"Excuse me sir," The lab tech looked at Neo in confusion.

"One can never know the effects individuals have on one another, perhaps he met someone that changed his view. Anyway, keep Darcel off the flight roster for now, if we need him I'll come by to get him but until his mood improves he'll be more of a liability than an asset," Neo explained.

"I wish that Dr. Griffin was here to see this."

Roanoke turned his head to the scientist. "Griffin... isn't he the one who made Darcel like this."

"Yes sir, the Doctor said specifically to report and records all behaviour that Archer shows. He personally wanted to know what the 2.5 'Extended' would react to battle, and etc." The man the explained.

"Why?"

"Dr. Griffin takes a very _personal_ interest into his experiments; especially his 2.5 Generation. Darcel is one his more favoured creations of his project and he wants make sure he can improve in what ever flaws that are in his program from what I can undertsand."

Neo narrowed his eyes behind his mask then said "Are you telling me that there are more like Darcel?"

"Only a handful of them and they are all back at Lodnia. Believe it or not some them are actually more stable than Archer and just as skilled. Honestly at times I wonder why he let Darcel out of all them out to join the Phantom Pain."

"Well its doesn't matter know. Just make sure you keep him under control understand?" Roanoke stated.

The Scientist nodded his head to Neo as he walked out. Suddenly, the shatterproof glass shook as Darcel pressed his cheek against it.

"SOON! WE'LL CLASH SOON! BRANDEN KAMAL!" He yelled.

* * *

The Minerva was already floating over the Indian Ocean and getting dangerously close to the EA ambush site. Silver Mask had remained in his machine, his eye letting out a red glow as he ran through the Aero Gundam's activation process. The Minerva's radar operator, Bart had already picked up the signals for the massive force.

"All hands go to condition red," Talia said.

The crewmembers and Sensou soldiers reported to their battle stations. Sheryl ran onto the bridge just as it was sinking down into its dark battle station. She took a seat at the gunnery station and nodded to Talia.

"Shinn and Branden will launch along with Silver Mask, Nia, Luna, Rey and Joe will remain on standby with Kojiro," Talia explained.

"Kojiro, follow Captain Gladys's orders and remain on standby, Cape Town begin launching the Aqua GM's in case the EA have launched amphibious units," Vincent ordered over the radio.

He climbed into the RX as the Aero Gundam stepped towards the first catapult. Shinn slid his faceplate down as the Core splendor was put on the catapult.

"Shinn Asuka, core splendor launching!" Shinn said.

"Dusk Aero Gundam ready to launch," Silver Mask declared.

The two machines flew out of the Minerva. Silver Mask transformed the Aero Gundam out of jet mode and drew his rail rifle. The Impulse's legs and body connected to the Core splendour and the Force pack slammed into its back. Shinn's phase shift armour took on a blue tone as he opened his shield.

"There's so many of them," Shinn gasped.

"Well it wouldn't be any fun if there were just five of those machines would there?" Silver Mask grinned.

"Are you crazy?"

"My 'sanity' varies from time to time."

"Captain Gladys, I'm launching too," Athrun said.

"Understood, Shinn, Silver Mask follow Athrun's order for this battle, Commander Vincent please do the same," Talia explained.

"Athrun Zala, Saviour launching!"

Vincent watched the Saviour take off, unsure of how to react to Talia's decision. Branden however was always quick to make his feelings clear.

"Who needs a commander for this kind of operation, just smash straight through the enemy forces," He said.

The Murasama Rogue stepped onto the catapult.

"Good luck Mr Kamal," Meyrin said.

"Whatever," Branden shrugged.

Branden pushed down on his flight sticks, flying the Murasama forward. He grinned as he looked at the sheer numbers of Windam's approaching the Minerva.

"All right, time for a good old fashioned SMASH UP!" Branden roared.

He drew his assault claws and moved the Murasama forward. Green beams flew across the sky as the ZAFT machines clashed with the Windam's. Stellar and Lyna watched the battle in the distance, their machines standing side by side at the frontline base. Sting flew the Chaos straight towards the Saviour, aiming his rifle at the unfamiliar machine.

"Let's see what the newbies got," Sting said.

"Hey! Wait Sting!" Neo called out.

"He's a real go getter that one." Jone shook his head at Sting's lack of impulse control.

Athrun easily dodged the beams fired by the Chaos's rifle. He switched out of wave rider mode and fired back with his own rifle. Sting barely managed to dodge the blasts and was taken aback by Athrun's skill. Shinn shot down one Windam after another, blocking counter attacks with his shield. Silver Mask fired his rail rifle, swinging it like a sword to cut apart five Windams.

"Should have known superior numbers wouldn't be any good," Raph sighed.

Raph's squadron flew at the Impulse, intending to take it out. But the Murasama suddenly flew into the squad, slashing two Windams with his blades. He turned around, dodging the beams fired by Raph. The Middle Eastern pilot unequipped his assault claws and drew his swords. Raph quickly raised his shield, blocking the two blades. He grit his teeth together as he pushed against the bigger machine.

"This guys good for a grunt," Branden said. "BUT HE'S STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

He yelled as he pulled his left sword back. Thrusting the blade forward, Branden widened his eyes as the Windam flew to the side of the machine. Raph deliberately disengaged the Windam's jet engines and let his machine fall. Branden didn't have time to go after the Windam as several more mobile suits flew after him. He deflected the beams with his sword and cursed as the Impulse shot the two Windams down.

"Hey no stealing my targets Asuka," Branden growled.

"I don't see your names on them," Shinn said.

The Minerva fired its missiles, hitting two Windams approaching it. Another four Windam's were cut apart by the Minerva's CIWS. Vincent moved the RX to the launch catapult, his eyes on the Purpose Mark 2.

"Captain Gladys, authorise the launch of the Purpose, have it go after the two extended machines, the Fallen and the Bombard while I take on the Mercy," Vincent explained.

"Negative Commander Rach, we still don't know what to expect from the Purpose when it goes up against Earth Forces," Talia said.

Sheryl cast a look of disapproval towards Talia, whilst Vincent merely sighed.

"Fine, Branden ignore the Windams and intercept the Bombard and Fallen," Vincent said.

"I was bored with the grunts anyway," Branden said.

The Murasama sliced open one more Windam before flying off in the direction of the Bombard and Fallen. Branden drifted his hand towards a new feature the Murasama possessed. But he quickly stopped when he remembered the risks of the new system. Instead he drew the Murasama's assault claws and flew straight at the two Ultimate Gundams. Lucifer quickly turned around, kicking the Murasama across the head. Branden quickly raised his arms, using the shields on the claws to block the shots Stark fired. Stark then slid out his missile launchers, firing a stream of rockets at the Murasama. Branden barely dodged the missiles, but quickly widened his eyes as the missiles flew back towards him. They slammed into the back of the Muramasa, knocking Branden forward out of his chair.

"Branden Kamal has been hit ma'am," Meyrin said.

Talia noted the concern in Meyrin's voice but chose to ignore it for now. She instead turned her focus to the Lucifer as it moved away from the Bombard and Murasama.

"Shit," Branden growled, turning back to the Bombard.

Stark laughed as he began firing his pistols explosive rounds. The Murasama dodged the explosions, but its pilot felt the machine shake as the explosions brushed against his armour. The Minerva opened its catapult and Vincent moved his suit to launch.

"Talia, keep Lunamaria and Nia on the Minerva's deck, their vizard packs make them good gunners," Vincent said.

The RX was equipped with a long red shield and a beam rifle with a sight attachment. A jet pack was attached to the RX's back as Vincent connected the RX to the catapult.

"Vincent Rach launching in the RX!"

The RX folded out the wings on its pack and slid across the catapult. Vincent braced himself as the G-forces hit him. He immediately fired his beam rifle, missing the Fallen's head. Lucifer showed only mild concern while Vincent cursed.

"Haven't made up for the RX's balance problem when in midair, switching to the beam sabre," Vincent said.

He drew a yellow bladed beam sabre and flew at the Fallen. Lucifer drew his own beam sabre and swung it towards Vincent. The Sensou commander blocked the red blade with his shield and countered with a slash from his sabre. Lucifer pulled his head back, flapping the Fallen's wings. He released several explosive mines, using them to obscure the RX's vision. Lucifer then rolled to the left as an Impulse beam flew towards him. He recovered and looked at the Minerva's deck. Luna and Nia both stood ready with their weapons equipped. Nia rolled the Gatling guns on her back while Luna fired her cannon.

"We've detected an object in the water," One of the Aqua GM pilots said.

"Protect the Nyiragongo," The GM commander said.

Auel merely grinned as the GM's fired their torpedoes. He easily dodged the missiles, transforming to mobile suit mode as he approached the commanders unit. The Abyss sliced the GM in half, and then stabbed another in the chest.

"Ah shit," The last Gm pilot gasped.

He pulled his GM back, only for the Abyss to stab his shoulder. In desperation, he fired his torpedo launcher, hitting the Abyss at point blank range. The resulting explosion threw the Abyss and GM away from one another. Auel immediately changed to mobile armour mode and darted off towards the ZAFT submarine.

"Its not worth the trouble," Auel sighed, leaving the damaged GM to drift.

Vincent slammed his sabre into Lucifer's sword. He then looked to his monitor as the signals for the Aqua GM's faded. Neo flew towards Shinn, his purple Windam distinguishing himself from the others. Athrun fired his hip mounted cannons, driving Sting back. He then fired a beam into one of the Chaos's weapons pods, blowing it up.

"Shinn stop, you're going too far out," Athrun said.

"They're surrounding me damn it," Shinn growled.

Shinn fired his beam rifle at Neo's Windam. He dodged the counter attacks and drew his beam sabre. Neo drew his own sabre and clashed with the Impulse. Silver Mask fired one shot after another, shooting down the Windams that approached him.

"They must have a base somewhere," Silver Mask said.

He drew a beam sabre as a Windam dived towards him. The masked man easily cut the Windam apart, sending the two pieces falling to the ocean. Shinn flew away from Neo, slashing a Windam in half and redrawing his beam rifle. He fired a few shots, forcing Neo to go on the defensive.

"Looks like this ones improved slightly," Neo grinned.

Shinn swung around and fired another shot. The beam flew into a Windam's chest, causing sparks to spread across the machine. Inside the machine the pilot screamed, his eyes focused on the picture by his screen.

"ELIZABETH!" He screamed.

The Windam blew up and Shinn moved back to business as usual. Silver Mask swung his sword at Neo, forcing him back. Athrun fired his impulse cannons in jet mode, brushing the Chaos's armour. Sting widened his eyes as the Saviour then turned to mobile suit mode. Athrun lifted his rifle and fired two shots at the Chaos. One shot hit the machine's leg, while the second blew up its beam rifle.

"Damn it, this guy isn't a newbie," Sting gasped.

Raph drew his beam sabre as he approached the Impulse. He flew around the side of the Gundam, letting his allies tire Shinn out. Then he moved in and swung his sabre at the Impulse. Shinn turned around just in time, watching the Windam fly towards him. He moved out of the way, but Raph altered the course of his sabre and cut the Impulse's rifle. Shinn threw the damaged rifle aside and drew his beam sabre. He raised his eyebrows in confusion as Raph's Windam flew out of his view.

"ASUKA WATCH OUT!" Silver Mask yelled.

Shinn turned his Gundam to the right, seeing a light coming from the trees on one of the nearby islands. He quickly dived the Impulse downwards as a beam flew out of the trees. The Buster Archer fired its sniper rifle, hitting the Impulse's shoulder. Stella suddenly jumped out of the bushes in the Gaia's wolf mode. She slammed into the Impulse and both machines plummeted into the shallow waters. Water dripped off of the Gundams as they faced one another.

"You again," Stellar growled.

She drew her beam sabre and slammed it into Shinn's shield. Shinn swung his own sword around, striking Stellar's shield. They both remained locked while the Buster Archer began preparing its rifle. Lyna looked down the site, locking onto the Impulse. Her lock was suddenly broken as Shinn and Stellar jumped away from one another. Stellar changed to wolf mode and fired her shoulder cannons, hitting the Impulse's shield and chest. The Impulse stood strong as the rounds kept hitting it. Luna and Nia continued to shoot at the Fallen, but stopped as the catapult opened behind them

"Wait, whose authorising the launch?" Talia asked.

"I am, the Purpose Mark 2 wants to help so I'm letting it, boys equip it with the beam rifle and shield!" Sheryl said.

The Purpose flew out of the Minerva, switching to jet mode as it heading in the direction of the Impulse. Rey and Joe both walked out in their own machines, carrying bazookas. They dived into the water and watched as the Abyss gunned down one of the amphibious units. Rey aimed his bazooka, firing a missile towards the Abyss. Auel flew out of the way, turning his head to the two ZAFT machines. He flew towards the Efreet Nacht, firing his rail guns. Joe threw his rifle aside and drew his sword, deflected each blast. Then he swung his sword, just as Auel transformed. Auel blocked Joe's strike, gritting his teeth together as the machine pushed him back. Rey then fired his bazooka again, hitting the Abyss and throwing it back.

"This is for the people you killed at Armoury One," Branden said as he swung his sword at Stark.

Two missiles suddenly slammed into Branden's back, blowing up one of the Murasama's rockets. Branden cursed as his Gundam began falling towards one of the islands.

"Branden," Meyrin nearly jumped out of her seat as she lost contact with the Murasama.

The Purpose switched to mobile suit mode, firing a shot that took out Neo's rifle. Neo backed away from the machine as it flew towards Stellar's position.

"Sir, we have a big problem," The head scientist suddenly appeared on Neo's side screen.

"What is it?" Neo asked.

"Darcel Archer sir, he's…well you see he's…"

"Stop right there, everyone we're going back to the John Paul," Neo said over the radio.

"I can take him; I can take him, I CAN TAKE HIM!" Stellar yelled as she flew at Shinn.

"Gaia pilot, do not interfere with my shot," Lyna warned.

A beam suddenly flew into Lyna's rifle, blowing it up and throwing her back. Stellar swung her sabre at Shinn, only for the young pilot to deflect her strike with his shield.

"Stellar, Neo himself has given the order to retreat, we must go now," Lyna said, firing her pistols at the Impulse and Purpose.

Stellar growled as she jumped upwards, grabbing the hand of Neo's Windam. Likewise Lyna did the same with Sting, still firing a few shots at the Impulse and Purpose. Shinn looked to the Purpose, nodding the Impulse's head. Both Gundams continued the pursuit, shooting down retreating Windams as they chased after Neo's group. Even Stark and Lucifer were increasing their speed, escaping from the two Gundams.

"Shinn, don't go too far out, if they're retreating then let them," Athrun said.

"I don't think so," Shinn growled.

Shinn and the Purpose came to a halt as they spotted the EA base. The Purpose's eyes took on a red glow as it saw the workers. EA soldiers were already getting to work on clearing the place out. They fired at the unarmed prisoners without hesitation. Shinn widened his eyes, images of his family flashing before his eyes.

"Those are slaves down there, we cant let this carry on," Shinn said.

The Purpose nodded its head and flew towards the base. Shinn quickly followed and both the Purpose and the Impulse landed in the middle of the base, between the workers and the soldiers. The Impulse and Purpose then turned to the soldiers, firing their Vulcan's.

"Shinn what are you doing? Stop, the Earth Alliance cant fight back!" Athrun said.

"Neither could the workers," Silver Mask said.

"They're slaughtering them!"

"Good!" Silver Mask whispered.

Shinn slashed the turrets while the Purpose squashed the tanks beneath its feet. The Impulse then fired its chest Vulcan's, hitting lines of the soldiers. Deactivating his sabre, Shinn moved with the Purpose towards the fencing separating the workers from their family. Together, the two Gundams pulled the fencing off of the floor, allowing the people to join. Shinn smiled as he watched familiar reunite. The Purpose knelt down and offered one of the children a ride on its hand. Sheryl smiled at the scene while Talia kept her emotions in check.

"It's hard to figure out what's right in war, civilians should always be the priority," Vincent said.

Nia nodded her head before walking with Luna back onto the ship.

"Fools, running away like that," Auel grinned. "I'll at least get one big kill!"

The Abyss flew towards the Nyiragongo.

"WE'VE GOT INCOMING! MINERVA PLEASE SEND ASSISTANCE!" The captain yelled.

"TIME TO GO!" Auel laughed.

"I DON'T THINK SO!"

Auel widened his eyes in shock as something crashed into his Abyss. It was an Aqua GM with half of its underwater components hanging off. Auel quickly realised that it was the GM he damaged earlier. The GM raised its fist, slamming it into the Abyss's back.

"I'm not even gonna bother telling you my name, Grunts can still kick ass!" The pilot said as he began overloading the GM's reactor.

The GM exploded just as it punched the Abyss. Auel cursed as sparks ran across his suit. He quickly altered the Abyss's course, retreating with the others. Vincent looked into the water, slamming his fist into his side screen.

"A brave man, Sheryl get me the name of that pilot so that I can remember it," Vincent said.

The Purpose and the Impulse flew back to the Minerva. But the atmosphere was far from celebratory. The sound of a slap echoed through the hanger. Vincent climbed out of his machine, looking to Athrun and Shinn in confusion. Athrun had just slapped Shinn across the face. Shinn looked at Athrun with a defiant expression on his face.

"You can hit me all you want but I don't give a damn, what I did saved those people," Shinn said.

Athrun quickly slapped Shinn again.

"War isn't about being a hero, if you have power then use it responsibly," Athrun said.

"That's enough both of you, what hells the problem here anyway?" Vincent asked.

"With all due respect Commander, we don't have time for this, there's another problem we need to sort out," Kojiro said.

Vincent and Athrun turned to Kojiro.

"The younger Hawkye told me, Branden's signal has been lost," Kojiro said.

Vincent and Shinn both gasped, fearing the worst.

"I saw him, he got him by a missile but he didn't go down," Athrun said.

"No body, no confirmation, everyone get ready to go back out, we're going to find Branden!" Vincent tightened his gloves as he walked to the RX.

Shinn ran after Vincent, looking back at Athrun to shoot him a glare.

* * *

Branden groaned as he woke up. The Murasama had hit the ground just hard enough to daze him. He assessed the damage to his machine. Flight thrusters were down, so the Murasama could only fly in short bursts.

"Your still alive…good, I was worried I had damaged your machine too much!"

Branden immediately narrowed his eyes and turned to the Slaughter Gundam. They were both stood on the perfect battleground for them; an island consisted of mountains and hills. Darcel sat inside the Slaughter, wearing only his civilian clothes. He raised the Slaughter's gatling guns, aiming them at the Murasama.

"I needed to damage your machine just enough to take out the transponder, I don't want your friends interrupting this," Darcel smiled.

Branden huffed as he drew his swords.

"Weird, I'd say the same thing about your friends, doesn't matter anyway. My "friends" are the only thing keeping me from cutting loose and showing you…just how powerful the Murasama Rogue truly is!"

Next Chapter 25: Blazing Rogue

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time its the Murasama Rogue against the Slaughter Gundam, with the Minerva crew and Phantom Pain searching for their comrades.


	26. Blazing Rogue

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Sorry if the chapter seemed late, this chapter was once again edited by 00virtuezero, I also included an OST that I felt suited a situation perfectly. Enjoy

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 25: Blazing Rogue

The Indian Ocean still wasn't behind either the Minerva or the Phantom Pain unit. Both groups had lost members of their piloting teams. Vincent hadn't waited for orders from Talia; in fact he had pretty much taken over the ship. Gathering the piloting team around a map, Vincent addressed them all as if he expected them all to search. Athrun never thought of Vincent as a leader, but he was surprised to see how well Vincent could adapt to his role when under pressure. The "Rach" team would be an organized unit, at least as far as rescuing Branden went. Even Meyrin had joined the meeting, having been the last person in contact with Branden. She seemed out of place amongst the pilots, especially her sister.

"The Minerva is here, Miss Hawke point out on the map where you last had communication with Branden," Vincent ordered.

"Y-yes sir, he was just over these islands engaging the Bombard when I lost contact with him. A missile hit him and knocked him off his flight path, then we lost his signal," Meyrin explained.

"Then he could be dead," Rey said.

"NO…I mean he isn't, the missile only brought his mobile suit down, there was no damage to indicate that his machine would blow up," Meyrin said.

The other pilots shook off the shock of Meyrin's distress and turned back to the meeting. Kojiro gave Rey a sharp look, one that almost seemed out of character for him.

"Your words would be true if it was any other machine or pilot Rey Za Burrell. But Branden is not just any other pilot, neither is his machine like any ordinary Gundam. It's highly likely that our loss of communication means that his transponder was knocked out," Kojiro explained.

"What makes you think he isn't dead?" Nia asked.

"If the Murasama was to be destroyed the resulting explosion would be significantly larger than any other Gundam," Kojiro stated.

The others looked at him in confusion, causing Vincent to sigh.

"Please explain to them Kojiro," Vincent said.

"The Murasama Rogue, the upgrade to the Murasama is designed to generate a significant amount of heat in order to increase performance. This means that it'll move faster, projectile weapons will be more powerful and striking attacks will be heavier as well as more intense in the heat it passes on to the opposing mobile suit," Kojiro explained.

"Isn't there a backlash to that?" Athrun asked.

"Correct, while the Murasama will generate heat that heat will also build up within the cockpit, the temperatures are similar to atmospheric re-entry and the system isn't designed to be used for longer than a few minutes, perhaps even seconds. If so then the pilot will cook like a roast turkey!"

Looks of shock and disgust crossed the groups faces, unsure of whether Kojiro was serious or telling a very dry joke. Vincent slapped his palm against his face, an action the Purpose 2 mimicked.

"We call it the Blaze system; it was designed to be like the Arc generators' dream system and the GN-drive's Trans-am. But while those systems lock out after a specific time, the Blaze system can only be deactivated by the pilot," Vincent explained.

"This is fascinating but shouldn't we get back to planning a search?" Joe asked.

"Exactly, Shinn will search the sky in the Core splendour, the Purpose will carry the sword silhouette equipment in case Shinn needs to defend himself from a possible attack. While they search the air, Kojiro, Joe, Nia and I will disembark from the Minerva, landing on this island here. From there we'll search and if we don't find him, we'll swim or fly towards the next island. Everybody else will remain on standby in case the Minerva is attacked," Vincent pointed at areas on the map, all within a short distance of the Minerva.

Vincent picked up his helmet and nodded to the others. He ran to the RX, climbing into the machine.

"Good luck out there Commander," Nia said.

"Thanks Nia," Vincent smiled before closing the RX's hatch.

Silver Mask watched the scene, his helmet's speaker generating a short chuckle.

"Déjà vu perhaps? Though I doubt he'll run into a first love out there, don't you agree Athrun?" Silver Mask asked, turning his head to Athrun.

The blue haired pilot stopped, looking at Silver Mask, unsure of whether to be shocked, confused or offended.

"This isn't the time or the place for that kind of thing…and what do you mean first love?" Athrun's eyebrows twitched in anger.

"Oh so you liked someone before the blonde did you? Sorry my mistake, your second love…I doubt your relationship will survive the recent strain so I'll go with…Meer Campbell being your next great love," Silver Mask let out a hearty laugh as Athrun stepped back in shock.

"What do you mean next great love?" he asked. "And how do you know about Meer? Who the hell are you anyway?"

"Spoilers Athrun, spoilers," Silver Mask shook his head as he walked to the elevator.

Kojiro prepped the Kenshin for launch, sliding his helmet's faceplate down. Vincent's face suddenly appeared on his screen.

"Try not to worry too much Kojiro, we'll find him," Vincent said.

"My concern is for the machine Commander, if he dies because of the heat generated by the Blaze system then the test will be a failure and the research into the system will be cut. The benefits of the blaze system far exceed that of the risks, unfortunately not everyone sees that, if Branden fails on some twisted quest to prove himself better than Gekido Jaeger then our battle strength and morale will be reduced significantly," Kojiro explained.

"You're worried," Joe cut in.

Rey listened with mild interest while Luna and Shinn both looked at their screens, intrigued by the conversation.

"You're certainly entitled to be concerned for the guy's health, after all he's your best friend," Joe chuckled.

Shinn and Luna smiled while Vincent chuckled. Even Rey seemed to hide a smirk. Kojiro cut off communications as he stepped towards the launch catapult.

"Best friend?" he muttered, huffing, as his mobile suit was equipped with its spear. 'I really don't understand…why one friend must be valued more than another!' Kojiro thought before he launched.

* * *

Two dark colored Gundams faced off in the forest. The atmosphere and sparks they generated alone were reason enough to know that this would be one deadly battle. Branden grit his teeth together, while Darcel shook with excitement. Suddenly, the Slaughter Gundam began rolling its Gatling guns. A flurry of bullets flew into the Murasama, knocking it back slightly. Branden pushed his sticks forward, sending the Murasama running towards his opponent. He used the Gundam's assault swords as makeshift shields, protecting himself from the bullets. Both Gundams swung their arms around, slamming their weapons together. Branden dragged his swords against the Slaughter's guns, trying to cut them apart.

"What the hell are those things made of?" Branden wondered.

Darcel knocked Branden's suit back, then fired several missiles from his shoulders. Branden immediately activated his rockets, despite the damage to the Murasama's back. He flew backwards, dodging several of the missiles and ripping trees out of the ground as he flew into them. The Murasama flew upwards, firing its Vulcan's into the forest. Darcel blocked the bullets with his Gatling guns, and then fired back with his own Vulcan's. He flew upwards, releasing a torrent of missiles. Branden flew straight ahead, manoeuvring himself around the missiles. He raised his sword, swinging it down towards the Slaughter Gundam.

"YOU THINK THAT'S ENOUGH!" Darcel yelled.

The Slaughter swung its Gatling guns around, hitting the Murasama across the head. Branden was knocked further back into his seat, as the Murasama crashed into the water.

"Damn it, this guys tougher than I thought he'd be," Branden said.

He looked up at the water and crossed his arms as missiles began flying into the water. The missiles flew into the Murasama, throwing it deeper into the sea. Branden grit his teeth together, his finger lingering over a red button, a button covered by a small glass casing. His eyes then drifted up to the Slaughter as the barrage stopped. Darcel threw aside his Gatling guns and drew two red beam sabres from his back. The Slaughter began to release a series of red pulses as it floated towards a nearby island. Inside the cockpit, Darcel's body generated the same pulses. The volume of his laughter slowly grew before he let out a full-blown cackle.

"I have so little knowledge of my former life, like many of the Extended my former existence was one society wouldn't have traded a second glance at. Perhaps I was an abducted, a happy boy taken from his family and his parents are still looking for him, or perhaps I was born on the street, ill favoured, unseen by the rest of the world. What I do know is this; people do not care for one another, because that is their greatest weakness…WE ARE BORN IN THIS WORLD TO ENVY! DESPISE! FIGHT AND DESTROY EACH OTHER!"

Darcel leaned forward in his seat and Branden widened his eyes, seeing the Newtype's ghostly image staring back at him.

"So your Branden Kamal, you have such a delicious childhood, such a delicious mind…oh wait, I'm sounding really gay aren't I?" Darcel laughed as he leaned back.

Branden gripped the side of his head; it felt as if the inside of his head was being pounded like a drum.

"What I mean Branden is that your childhood isn't so different from mine, we were born into this world to hate others, the Coordinators, ZAFT, even our own creators Blue Cosmos and the Earth Alliance," Darcel explained.

"Creators? I was born ass hole, I ain't a genetic freak like you," Branden growled.

"Freak huh…take a look at your childhood Branden," Darcel grinned.

Images flashed before Branden's eyes. Sweat ran down the back of his head as he ran with other children. They ran across a track, with armed guards watching them. The dirt was wet and stained their chests as they performed a series of push-ups. Their drill instructor would occasionally push their heads into the dirt puddles. Branden would always get the worst of it, until one day he decided to push back. A look of intense rage had filled his eyes as his head rose out of the mud puddle. He turned to his instructor, a man twice his size. Branden let out a yell before jumping at his instructor, hitting his back and pushing him to the dirt. The little boy pushed the man's head into the dirt, the hateful look never fading. Everyone's screams and warnings were a blur; he didn't even take notice of the man's twitching hands. This man had done something wrong to him and he would hurt him back.

"ENOUGH!" another instructor yelled, hitting the back of Branden's head.

Branden looked at the scene, his form like a ghost as he watched his younger self get dragged across the dirt. His touched his back, feeling every lash of the whip. The punishment didn't have the intended effect the scientists hoped. Branden turned to Darcel as his own "spirit" form appeared.

"Tell me Branden, does that childhood look normal to you?" Darcel asked, laughing as Branden squeezed his hand into a fist.

"SHUT UP!" Branden yelled.

He swung his fist at Darcel, but he merely passed through the Newtype's body. Branden fell to the floor, rolling across a sandy surface. He got up off the floor, staring at the sand dropping from his fingertips. It wasn't a memory, but a recreation of a report he read about Gekido Jaeger. This was the desert Gekido and Miguel Aiman fought on. Branden looked across the sand, seeing the two men trading blows. Gekido punched Miguel across the head, and Miguel countered with a kick to Gekido's gut. They grabbed the collars of one another's shirts, glaring at each other before slamming their heads together. The pair yelled, their roars turning into the echoes generated by machine speakers. Branden looked up at the sky, watching an orange GINN clash with a blue and white Gundam. The two machines suddenly turned into modified versions of themselves, the Purpose gained more weaponry, a smaller head and grey armour, while the GINN changed into a completely different suit. They slammed their swords together and changed once again. Branden now looked at the Defrock with its twin Arc generators and the Nenshou Kokoro. Both machines suddenly lit up, glowing gold as they clashed swords one final time.

"I see, you wanted to be like him didn't you?" Darcel asked, appearing behind Branden.

Branden glared at Darcel, but he didn't disagree with the man's point. Lowering his gaze, Branden did remember the admiration he felt for Gekido Jaeger. The man never gave up, he didn't concede to the social norms of a soldier or the demands of his superiors. He was a bad soldier, but in a way a good man. But most of all, when Gekido was beaten down, when he strayed and fell he rose to the challenge again and again. Gekido Jaeger had loved ones to pick him up when he acted like the one thing he never was, human.

"You envy him because of that don't you?"

"I'm not envious," Branden snapped.

"Really, who's going to pick you up when you fall?"

"Right back at you asshole, whose gonna help you huh?" Branden asked.

Darcel widened his eyes for a moment as Branden returned to the visible world. Branden smashed open the glass covering the Blaze system activation button. Without a seconds more hesitation, Branden slammed his fist into the button.

* * *

Sheryl sighed as she turned away from her workstation. Vincent's search team had reported in and there was still no sign of Branden. Shinn had yet to report in, which infuriated Sheryl to no end. Despite being one of the volunteers, Shinn wasn't putting his full effort into the mission. Likewise a few of the other Minerva crewmembers weren't searching either. Talia had recommended turning over a search to one of the other ZAFT teams.

'It'll be better for Branden if he's found by a Sensou team,' Sheryl thought.

She rubbed her eyes, her body clock hadn't gotten used to journeying across the continent. Vincent had always told her to get some sleep, something she threw right back at him. All of these children fighting didn't sit right for Sheryl, especially Branden who had been fighting for most of his life.

'Oh Branden,' Sheryl sighed.

Sheryl had buried an empty coffin once; she had no intention of burying others.

"Shinn, have you found anything yet?" Meyrin asked.

"For the fourth time Meyrin I haven't found anything, neither has the Purpose," Shinn said.

"Oh, please report as soon as you do find something."

A smile crossed Sheryl's face as she walked up behind Meyrin.

"Branden wouldn't like it, but I'm glad people are concerned about it," Sheryl said.

"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking what was Branden's career like before he joined Sensou. Alls I've been able to find on him is an old class photo from an abandoned Blue Cosmos program," Meyrin explained.

"Branden did work for black ops; he was involved in a war mongering operation in Jupiter. A pilot called Kyusai Thanos found evidence of the activities Branden's unit were up to. But Branden was acting on the orders of a senator, who brutally…I mean mysteriously disappeared before the authorities could arrest him," Sheryl chuckled. "Anyway during his time in Jupiter, Branden began fighting a mercenary by the name of Sakon Date, I'm not quite sure what Sakon said but the battles had a significant effect on Branden. He betrayed his unit then joined up with a few other Gundam pilots to liberate Jupiter and bring in a democratic government, a few months later Sakon died, the war ended and Branden left the alliance to join Sensou," Sheryl explained.

Meyrin nodded her head, her curiosity at least partially appeased. Sheryl smiled before returning to her workstation.

'Ah to be young again,' she thought.

* * *

Kojiro walked the Kenshin across the forest, occasionally checking his radar for heat sources. If Branden did use the blaze system, his suit's heat signature would become significantly larger. The former Orb pilot came to a stop as he looked at a scratch mark on the floor.

"What is it Kojiro?" Joe asked.

"Branden had been fighting here," Kojiro said.

"Kojiro, Vincent here, Nia and I have found some bullet casings, as in big bullet casings. Branden must have been fighting the Slaughter, we'll continue the search," Vincent explained across the radio.

The RX dropped a bullet casing it had been holding and resumed its walk towards the beach. Behind it stood Nia's Zaku, following close behind. Nia kept an eye on her radar, looking out for any signatures that matched the Murasama and the Slaughter.

"Commander Rach I was wondering, how did Branden join Sensou?" Nia asked.

"Thinking of transferring?" Vincent smirked.

"What? No I was just curious about how a pilot like Branden was allowed into Sensou."

"Well believe it or not the first time he came to me was a time I rejected him. We were short on soldiers but I didn't like Branden, his background was shady and his attitude was troubling. But then I got a letter from Casvall, recommending that Branden serve under me," Vincent explained.

"That mute pilot was the one that recommended Branden?" Nia asked.

"Yeah, Cagalli argued tirelessly with Casvall, a pointless statement really considering Casvall's mind was set and well, your can't really argue with a mute guy."

Nia and Vincent both laughed.

"Now that I think about it, I think Casvall only did it because Sakon Date was his best friend and Sakon took a great interest in Branden's development. I don't know why though, I mean Sakon would have dismissed Branden as another enemy if he was anyone else," Vincent sighed as he rubbed his head, still incapable of figuring out the one eyes dragon's complicated personality.

"And do you trust Branden?" Nia asked.

"At first no, I only let him in because of Casvall's recommendation and like I said at the time we were short on combat ready pilots. But now I can say with confidence that I trust Branden to do the right thing, sure he may be selfish at times but when push comes to shove I have no doubt that he'll pull through for his comrades. True he has his issues but you'll find that with Gundams the more exceptional the pilot, the more messed up their lives are," Vincent explained.

Nia nodded his head, certainly seeing some odd characters in Sensou. Then again, the Gundam pilot of ZAFT wasn't all there either. Kojiro stopped the Kenshin in mid step, raising his spear slightly. Joe stopped behind him, but instead lowered his shotgun.

"There's nothing here Kojiro," Joe said.

"I know, that wasn't what worried me, I wanted to know what you wanted to ask me?" Kojiro asked.

"You can't see me through the mobile suit but you can still tell I want to ask you something, you could give Newtypes a run for their money," Joe laughed.

"It's not that, you've been wanting to ask me a question since we began the search," Kojiro said, turning the Kenshin to Joe's Kampfer.

"Yeah it's true, I wanted to ask you, the Blaze system was something you came up with right?"

"It was a joint project carried out between me, Sheryl and the Infernus crewmen Noah!"

"Yeah that's my point, you recommended that Branden's suit be given the system, why not put it in your own suit?" Joe asked.

"I lack the ability to cope with the system," Kojiro said.

"Yet you had faith that Branden could use it, that's what I'm getting at Kojiro, clearly Branden's a good friend of yours," Joe smiled.

"You're wrong there, it wasn't faith in Branden that made me choose him, it was simple logic. I recommended Branden because out of all the Sensou pilots he's the one that has spent the most time physically training his body in endurance. While its true many of our pilots can last through sheer determination, Branden actually has the physical strength to endure a system like the Blaze system," Kojiro explained.

"So there was no other reason?" Joe asked.

"No," Kojiro replied with a deadpan expression.

Joe blinked in confusion before shrugging as the Kenshin walked away.

"One of these days you're going to have to admit that Branden's your closest friend," Joe said as he walked after Kojiro.

'Closest friend, could that be what we are?' Kojiro wondered, lowering his head slightly.

They were always fighting together and hanging out. Branden was always talking to Kojiro and Kojiro always listened. Then there was the time they came to one another's defence. For Kojiro he only needed help on the battlefield, which seemed to be an opposite for Branden. Branden only ever needed help outside the suit, during the times they weren't supposed to be fighting. Yet Branden always seemed to find a fight.

"TAKE THAT BACK ASSHOLE!" he had yelled at a ZAFT pilot.

"Well I'm right, that guy is a monster!"

It had been the aftermath of an Earth Alliance attack on the Plants. Casvall had destroyed several retreating Alliance ships, including one that had surrendered. The ZAFT pilot Branden was fighting had said that Casvall's actions bordered on monstrous, something Branden took to heart.

"Bad things happen in war pal, sometimes they cant be avoided," Branden said.

"I'd expect that kind of talk from an EX-Blue cosmos member, its idiots like you that led to Junius Seven's destructions, you're the real monsters!"

Branden narrowed his eyes at the group of pilots before he rushed forward.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A MONSTER CAN DO THEN COORDINATOR!" he yelled.

Suddenly, Branden was grabbed from behind and slammed onto his back. Kojiro held the collar of Branden's jacket, pushing him into the ground.

"That's enough, all of you back to your squads," Kojiro said.

"Hey, you don't have the authority to order us around," the ZAFT pilot said.

Kojiro let go of Branden and walked over to the group. He looked at them with a stern expression that made at least two of the pilots back off.

"Sensou and ZAFT are now allied, the only time you do not follow a ranking superiors orders is when they are illegal or are given by an enemy. I am not an enemy, so I outrank you, walk away soldier and I won't reprimand you for provoking your fellow pilots or scandalizing a superior officer," Kojiro explained.

With a grudging huff, the pilots walked away. Kojiro offered Branden his hand, but the stubborn middle-eastern pilot got up himself.

"Provoking and scandalizing, I'm not an expert on military protocol but aren't those benign charges when off duty?" Branden asked.

"Very few soldiers are experts, accept for myself, their behavior wasn't acceptable, but your behavior would have warranted time in the brig, or several lashes…which I suppose you would have enjoyed," Kojiro said with his usual dead pan expression.

Branden growled before grabbing Kojiro by his neck. The former Orb officer showed little concern as Branden tightened his grip.

"Don't…even…joke about that," Branden growled.

"Branden, I am not your enemy," Kojiro said.

Branden widened his eyes for a moment before letting go of Kojiro. He looked at his hand in shock.

"I am sorry Branden, I had read that jokes were a good way of easing tension…I didn't realize you'd take it personally," Kojiro placed a hand on Branden's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.

"This isn't the part where you tell me you "have and always will be your friend" is it?" Branden asked.

"Of course not, my books indicate that we haven't known each other long enough to be friends," Kojiro said.

"There's the Spock like expression I'm looking for, thanks Kojiro, if I had punched those guys I probably would have regretted it later…well not really but we can't have trouble with this alliance can we?" Branden smirked as Kojiro nodded.

Branden walked to the doorway.

"Branden wait," Kojiro said, stopping Branden in mid step. "How many times were you whipped?" he asked.

Branden sighed as he rubbed his back.

"Enough to make scars, I had the biggest ones removed, all of Vincent's scars are at his front and his face, they're symbols of his determination. My scars are symbols of a victim," Branden slammed his fist into the wall.

"I disagree," Kojiro said, crossing his arms. "If you were whipped multiple times, it's a sign that Blue Cosmos didn't completely bend you to their way of thinking," he explained.

Branden slowly nodded his head before he walked away. He looked at his hand as he walked, realizing he had never been that aggressive with his own teammates before.

'Where did that come from?' he wondered.

* * *

Darcel impatiently tapped his fingers against his controls. He couldn't stop the build up off blood lust inside him. Never before had he had such fun and felt such sensations. The Lodonia labs gave him a different feeling or "pressure" as Newtypes called it. Hundreds of children screaming some out of fear, others anger and many more simply because they didn't want their deaths to be silent. The pain, hatred and defiant emotions were like drugs to Darcel, as addicting as the contents of his inhaler. He noticed his hands shaking, and realized that this was probably about the time the doctors would have given him another dose. But the truth was, Darcel didn't need those drugs anymore. He'd found a new drug, a new addiction.

"I'M WAITING FELLOW GUNDAM!" Darcel yelled.

He generated his Newtype power, intending to force Branden out of his hideaway. The Slaughter's eyes glowed a red colour as the intensity of the beam sabres increased. Red Newtype power flowed out of the machine like a mist, like an aura of Darcel's bloodlust. It flowed like blood across the floor and Darcel's grin never faded as the water began to bubble. This isn't a metaphor the water was actually boiling.

**(Gundam Unicorn OST-Mad-Nug)**

Steam rose out of the water as a figure slowly emerged from the sea. Darcel fixed his gaze on the Murasama Rogue. It was vibrating, its armor glowing red as it generated high levels of heat. The Damon claws seemed to extend from the heat generated through the six blades. Branden glared at the Slaughter before he charged forward.

"Blaze system active, recommended duration ten seconds," the computer announced.

"TEN SECONDS! I NEED MORE!" Branden yelled.

"BRING IT!"

The two glowing Gundams slammed their swords together, sending sparks and energy coursing through the island. On the Minerva, the crewmembers widened their eyes at the high build up of heat on the radar.

"Whoa, that's either a very big mobile suit or…"

"Branden's Murasama," Meyrin interrupted the crewmen.

Sheryl looked to Talia, whom nodded her head in agreement at the unspoken command.

"Move to that area, send a message to the mobile suit teams, have them support the Murasama Rogue," Talia said.

"We already know Captain, we're on our way," Vincent said over the radio.

"In the end we didn't need to look, he created a beacon for us to follow," Meyrin smiled.

Branden yelled as he pushed the Slaughter back, sending it sliding across the floor. Darcel laughed with enjoyment as he took to the skies, firing a flurry of missiles. The Murasama Rogue fired its impulse cannon, destroying the storm of missiles. Branden left a red trail behind him as he flew up at the Slaughter, thrusting his claws at the machine. Darcel dodged every strike, but the sheer build up of heat burnt several parts of his armor. He swung his sabers around, clashing them with Branden's claws. Both Gundams slammed their blades together again and again, releasing even greater levels of heat ad Newtype energy. Darcel yelled as he released his power, directing it towards the Rogue's cockpit. Branden suddenly yelled, releasing a wave of heat from the Murasama's armor. Darcel widened his eyes in shock as the heat distorted his senses. Branden then swung around, slamming his foot into the Slaughter's chest, once, then twice and a third time that threw the Slaughter back.

"Ten second recommendation overcome, passed thirty seconds, recommend shutting down…" Branden promptly pushed the mute button on his computer before looking to the Slaughter.

The inside of the Rogue's cockpit looked as if the machine was going through re entry. Alarms were blaring and sweat was running down Branden's face. He took off his helmet; sweat practically pouring onto his knees. Driving the Murasama forward, Branden thrust his claws at the Slaughter's head. Darcel ducked underneath the blades and slammed his knee into the Murasama's stomach. He then swung his sabre at the Murasama, only for Branden to block the attack with his right claw. Branden swung his claw around, but Darcel easily dodged the attack. Darcel blinked in mild confusion before deepening his grin.

"I get it now, your movements are getting slower, that system hurts you doesn't it?" Darcel asked.

"If Gekido Jaeger could fight like this, THEN I CAN TOO!" Branden roared.

"You truly are a stubborn and WORTHY OPPONENT!" Darcel yelled in delight.

Both pilots yelled as they swung their swords around. But much to Branden's shock, Darcel pulled his suit back and casually sliced both the Murasama's arms off.

**(End OST)**

Branden's vision blurred as the Slaughter kicked the Murasama, sending it crashing onto a nearby island. Darcel landed the Slaughter near the Rogue, placing his foot on the machine's chest. He raised his eyebrows in mild surprise as the Slaughter's foot began to melt. Stepping off the machine, Darcel pointed his sabre at the Murasama's chest.

"Branden we're on our way," Shinn said over the radio.

"Launch the Impulse's components," Talia ordered.

"Not out yet," Branden's breathing was heavy, but he still gripped his controls tightly.

Meyrin widened her eyes as she listened to Branden breathing across the radio. The young man sounded as if he was in pain. Darcel smirked at the defiant nature of his rival and directed his sabre away from the Murasama.

"I'm going to let you live, you will improve Branden, get stronger and provide me with an even greater challenge, the name is Darcel Archer, remember it well" Darcel said as he turned away from the Murasama.

The Slaughter flew into the sky, launching a flurry of missiles to cover its escape. Shinn and the Purpose dodged the missiles, shooting at the Slaughter as it retreated into the ocean.

"BRANDEN SHUT DOWN THE BLAZE SYSTEM!" Kojiro yelled as he and Joe ran up to the Murasama.

With a final gasp, Branden deactivated the system, turning the Murasama back to normal. Meyrin shifted in her seat slightly as the Impulse carried the Murasama back to the Minerva.

"Go ahead Meyrin, I can take over for you if you'd like," Sheryl said, looking at the girl with a smile.

"Thank you Ma'am," Meyrin said.

Sheryl pulled the girl off her chair and directed her to the door. She took Meyrin's headset and sat at her post. Talia look at her, her eyebrows raised in mild intrigue. Sheryl simply grinned and much to her surprise, Talia smiled back. Meyrin exited the elevator to see the mechanics spraying the Murasama down with water. She looked below her and saw Branden drenched in sweat, his soaked flight suit abandoned on the floor. He held an icepack to his head, looking at the ground as Vincent spoke with him.

"You could have gotten yourself killed back there; I don't ever want to see you take a risk like that again are we clear?" Vincent asked.

"Yes grand commander, we're clear," Branden said.

Vincent slapped Branden's back before walking away.

"You lasted longer than we initially thought, I'll increase the recommended time to twenty seconds, but follow the commander's orders," Kojiro said.

"Your concerns appreciated Kojiro," Branden grinned.

"Don't be ridiculous, our fighting strength would be significantly less if we lost you," Kojiro turned his back and walked away.

Despite his statement, Kojiro flashed a rare smirk, one Branden shared. Branden removed the pack from his head and looked up, seeing Meyrin staring at him.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Branden asked in a gruff tone.

"I…I just came to see if you were okay," Meyrin said.

Branden grunted, pressing the icepack against the back of his neck.

"I'm fine, why do you care anyway?" he asked.

Meyrin looked away slightly.

"Its just…I heard you on the radio, you sounded as if you were having trouble breathing…like you were out of breath," she said.

"Yeah, the helmet didn't really help, I'll probably take it off first thing the next time I use the system," Branden explained.

"Again, but it almost caused you to pass out," Meyrin looked at Branden in surprise.

Branden smirked as he looked at Meyrin.

"Yeah I did, but the power I got from it! Now I know what it feels like to fight like Gekido Jaeger!" Branden grinned slightly.

"O-okay, are you sure your all right?" Meyrin asked.

"Yeah I'm good bridge bunny," Branden said, waving his arm dismissively.

Meyrin turned away shyly, looking at the Middle Eastern teen from the corner of her eye.

"Sorry I bothered you," she said.

The red haired girl quickly ran off the deck, leaving Branden alone. He huffed as he turned to the catapult, looking at the ocean. It was calm before the storm for him, for one day he'd fight Darcel Archer again. But for now he couldn't help but think of the coordinator girl that stared at him so often.

"Weird girl," he muttered.

* * *

If one were to go past Talia's office they would hear two women laughing. Sheryl sat in front of Talia's desk; the captain had removed her hat and enjoyed a cup of tea with her colleague.

"I thought Branden was going to break Tieria's glasses for shutting down his mobile suit, but Tieria just gives him this plain look and says "I was joking"", Sheryl laughed.

"They certainly are a handful aren't they?" Talia asked.

"Yes, but quite frankly I wouldn't have them any other way," Sheryl said.

Talia nodded her head, leaning back into her chair as she drank her tea. Sheryl grabbed the photo on Talia's desk, smiling at the photo.

"Cute kid, where is he now?" Sheryl asked.

"The Plants, the Beta colony living with my parents…I understand you had a son as well," Talia lowered her gaze slightly.

Sheryl lowered her cup and sighed.

"Yes, Wes, he was a pilot, far too young in my opinion, younger than the others. But like many other parents I've had to bury a child, I don't intend to bury any others. Sensou is my spouse and all of those boys are my children," Sheryl explained.

"To our children then," Talia said.

"May their lives be complete and filled with happiness," Sheryl smiled as she drank from her cup.

Next Chapter 26: The soldier's life

Purpose: Such a retched world we live in, where the differing views collide.

Athrun: Is that where you formed, the idea? You're not the first person who's ever wished for more power!

Shinn: My family was killed, because of the Athha's and Commander Rach's interference.

Purpose: to love is to cherish and to lose that love is war.

Noah: I make no apologies.

Vincent: I did what had to be done; if there was a better way you can bet your next paycheck I would have used it.

Cain: This is our life; we can not change it simply because we wish to

Sheryl: HE WAS MY SON! MY BABY!"

Shinn: You think your sanctimonious words make anything better?

Simon: Alls we need is will, that's what leads us to action damn it.

Purpose: this is our existence; this is the soldier's life!

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time we'll be back on track with the Destiny plot, along with added character confrontations including Vincent and Shinn


	27. The soldier's life

Disclaimer I dont own Gundam

Hey guys, I'm back with another update, with editing credit going to 00virtuezero

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 26: The soldier's life

War is not just a case of fighting; throughout the history of war the media has played an important role. There have been icons in the media and propaganda, like Uncle Sam or the numerous posters of the world war battlefields that portrayed a heroic outlook of the soldier's life. Even women have had icons, like the tough lady wearing a bandana and showing her fists, a way to encourage strength in the women and lead them to the factories. Strength can be gained from high morale and morale soared in the ZAFT and Sensou alliance. This was in short part due to the presence of Gekido Jaeger, or at least some people believed Gekido Jaeger. Lacus Clyne watched the tapes of the Sho Nenshou Kokorou dispatching multiple attacks on the Plants. She seemed more focused on this man that may very well have been her friend and former lover, than the woman that replaced her.

Meer Campbell seemed to have fitted into the role Durandal assigned her well. Her impersonation of Lacus Clyne wasn't perfect, but people rarely do know famous faces and what they are really like. Any doubts people had over her sudden appearance and change in attire were quickly swept away when she sang. And sing Meer Campbell, or rather Lacus Clyne did. The pop star image seemed to suit her well as "Lacus" danced and sang on a stage, hundreds of lights shining on her and thousands of spectators watching and listening. Gekido Jaeger bought morale to the battlefield; Lacus Clyne bought happiness to the people.

"Thank you everyone you've been a wonderful audience," Meer said, waving to her crowd of loyal fans.

She'd never had fans before and that was something Meer loved about this new life. People loved Lacus Clyne and for as long as the war went on Meer would be Lacus Clyne. When she got back stage, Meer wiped her face with a towel. She had also never performed like that in public before. Despite her training, she still couldn't fight the beads of sweat that formed on her skin. It wasn't the fatigue but the stress of her new life. She had to be Lacus; she had to convince everyone that she was Lacus Clyne.

"They'd never like plain old Meer Campbell," Meer muttered.

"Ma'am!"

Meer turned to her door and saw a soldier in ZAFT's purple and black colours.

"Oh hello, how may I help you?" Meer asked.

The soldier bowed his head slightly as he handed her a USB stick. Meer looked at the stick in confusion. The soldier sighed and motioned to her computer. Meer inserted the stick and waited as her computer booted up. She gasped in shock and awe as Gekido Jaeger's face appeared.

"Lacus, good to see you again, Remus there recorded your show for me, you've been doing extraordinarily well," Gekido explained.

"Thank you Mr Jaeger," Meer blushed.

"Just call me Gekido," the young man sighed in frustration.

"Of course Mr…I mean Gekido, its good to talk to you again," Meer said.

"Well pretty soon we'll be speaking face to face Lacus, it'll certainly be a sight to see wont it? Athrun Zala, Lacus Clyne and Gekido Jaeger together again, former allies and friends joining to do their parts in the war," Gekido mused, crossing his arms together as he smirked.

"It certainly will be a sight to see old friend," Meer sighed.

"Yes, but remember to play your part to the letter," a dark look crossed Gekido's face as he narrowed his eyes at Meer.

"Don't worry, I'll do my part perfectly," Meer said.

Gekido nodded his head in satisfaction before cutting the communication line. Meer squealed in delight, it must have been fate for her to lead this life. Years ago she had met a young man named Simon Hunter on a plane and they had discussed her rise to stardom. The pretty much straight after Meer had met with Durandal and Gekido and had been drawn into a life she never imagined living.

"When you get out of surgery all those idiots out there will tell you to act the way they wish Lacus will. But being Lacus is more than just having a pretty voice and prettier face, Lacus had an air about her that's hard to mimic, even those whom have spent but a short amount of time with her are drawn to her," Gekido explained, standing over Meer's hospital bed.

She'd been left there to speak with Gekido, who personally requested the meeting. He kept his face covered by a sleeveless hooded jacket, but Meer could look into his eyes. She felt fearless in his presence, yet anxious at the same time. He could reassure her yet still bully her in a way. Right now he was giving her advice.

"Lacus never played the game if you will, people demanded something of her and she'd do it because she was helpful to others. But there's a fine line between being kind and generous and just being a damn fool. In a way Lacus was a soldier without even having to carry a weapon, society had orders for her but she refused to follow Zala's order," Gekido crouched at Meer's bedside and took her hand with his.

"M-Mr Jaeger," Meer gasped.

"I've seen the look in your eyes Meer, you want to be Lacus because it'll be a better life but the reality is far from satisfying. Lacus lost her mother and endured, her father was murdered and she endured, her fiancé tried to kill her, her lover refused her affections and she endured. Yet now in a world that needs Lacus Clyne she ran and went to live in a shack raising petty orphans."

Meer was taken aback by the sudden fierce tone in Gekido's voice. His anger truly was infamous, as was his ability to inspire through "tough love".

"The memories of those who fought and died have been insulted by her and they'll be insulted by you if you aren't doing this for the right reasons. Do not be Lacus Clyne the woman who abandoned her duty but be Lacus Clyne, the woman who will inspire and eventually lead her people. When you come out of that surgery you will bear Lacus's face and the power that comes with that face, use it to improve the Plants in ways Lacus never did," Gekido paused as he ran his hand along Meer's forehead.

He planted a kiss on her head and turned his back to the bed.

"Do that and perhaps one day the world will accept that Meer Campbell was better at being Lacus Clyne then Lacus Clyne ever was," he whispered just load enough for her to hear.

Be a better Lacus; that had become Meer's goal.

* * *

The Archangel currently resided in the waters of the Kingdom of Scandinavia. The government in secret sheltered them, but Scandinavia's military strength wasn't enough to support the Archangel besides simple shelter. The crew sent up a Comm. buoy to receive information from the media networks. News would come in of the fragile situation in Eurasia. Dagger Thanos had also completed his "conquest" of Portsmouth and had begun moving his forces through the cities leading to London. That and to add fuel to an even larger fire, the new director of Anaheim electronics was making his intentions clearer. Like Durandal, Heiwa Jaeger knew how to get a crowd riled up. But landing on the beaches of Eurasia Heiwa was met with a site he couldn't accept. Eurasia was infamous for hating those from the Atlantic federation, but meeting with Djibril's Logos allies Heiwa saw people clapping over his arrival.

"The people have come to meet you Heiwa, you are becoming a symbol of a still prospering economy, give Eurasia a reason to keep the Alliance," the overweight Alliance official said.

Heiwa shot the man an uncharacteristic glare as he walked past.

"I will give the people a reason to keep us," Heiwa said. _'You pompous ass disgrace of a homosapien!' _He thought disdainfully.

He walked forward, raising his arms to halt the applause.

"Enough of this charade, I know that none of you are really happy to see me. You think I don't know that your families have been threatened, that some of you have even been paid to welcome me with open arms. What reason do you have to trust the Atlantic federation? No reasons, when have they ever defended or protected you, they spat on you, looked at you as if you were coordinators, used your husbands and sons as martyrs at Alaska and Djibril, Djibril and his fellow lords seem only content to cheat and lie to you," Heiwa explained, turning his head to Djibril's party.

His smirk never faded as he looked back at the crowd.

"You think I don't know that there are those amongst you who are prepared to kill me? What makes me so different from them? Well grant me five minutes and I will explain to you my intentions for Eurasia," Heiwa walked closer to the crowd, even going past the guards.

"They take our food and leave us with piles that aren't even fit to serve dogs," one man in the crowd said.

"Our homes barely have the energy to run anymore, Djibril has plenty of power and he doesn't share it," said another.

"People please, I am prepared to listen to every complaint you have about the alliance, but right now we must focus on something more important, the future and our liberty to create a future we can be proud of…my brother Gekido Jaeger lost his faith in the alliance, in his people and his comrades, but he had a dream a dream that the Earth could be united in warfare and from the ashes of that war become a world we could be proud of. Pride not in Earth's purity but in our own efforts to improve that Earth, I stand here before you now with no smile, no threat or mask, only a pledge an absolute pledge that Anaheim electronics will improve not your military but you the people."

Watching the scene from his office, Djibril tightened his grip on his cat. Neo watched with raised eyebrows underneath his mask while Durandal smirked.

"Anaheim electronics stands with the Alliance so that we may have the power to help you the people, we will improve your power stations, your buildings, and your economy. Too long have we provided the Earth with something to blow up, now we will turn that fortune towards remaking Earth with the combined pride of the people that live here, starting with Eurasia," the crowd grew ever silent as Heiwa walked amongst them.

"I give you my word, the word of Heiwa Jaeger, brother of Gekido Jaeger the shining star of the Earth Alliance that I will not abandon you and that I will do everything within my power to rebuild Eurasia, the Earth and create a planet THAT WE CAN BE PROUD TO FIGHT FOR AGAIN!" he yelled.

The crowd cheered as they surrounded Heiwa, welcoming him as de facto leader of Eurasia. Some saw it as a symbol of hope; others saw it as a change for the worst. Either way change was a force that existed throughout the universe and it didn't care if you loved it or hated it. Change is indifferent and it won't be denied!

"They certainly seem to be having a good time, though on the English front we could do with something a little more uplifting," Andy sighed.

The whole Archangel crew now sat on the bridge, drinking coffees made by Andy and John.

"Would you prefer a report on a white dolphin giving birth to cute little baby dolphins?" Murrue asked.

"Well, maybe not that uplifting," Andy chuckled.

"I don't know whether to be pleased or concerned about the state of Eurasia, this Heiwa guy seems to be as overzealous as his brother," John said.

"Then there's this," Cagalli said, pointing to a screen showing Meer's latest concert. "Are you really okay with this?" she asked Lacus.

"She's right Lacus you seem awfully calm about Durandal replacing you," Kai said.

"It's even more evidence that we can't trust Durandal," Kira said.

"I know that, but I still don't like sitting here doing nothing," Kai growled.

"What the?" Chandra paused, looking at his screen in confusion.

"What is it Chandra?" Neumann asked.

"I just got an email on the ship's computer, it's a typed out text message," Chandra said.

"What does it say?" Kira asked.

"To those whom oppose the redundant Earth Alliance, grant me your time and I will discuss with you the future of not just the Earth but the Plants and Orb as well, failure to reply to this message will imply that you are an enemy of the storm," Chandra explained.

"Dagger Thanos," John sighed.

"Yeah, the message also has a set of coordinates set in; he's planning a summit with military leaders to discuss a possible alliance!"

"Joining Thanos would get us into action sooner," Andy said.

"No, we're not joining Thanos," Kira said.

"Kira you do remember the concept of democracy don't you?" Cagalli asked.

"I don't trust that man," Kira shook his head.

"Or your probably a little jealous of the fact that Flay may still have feelings for his long dead son," Kai smirked.

The crew turned to Kai, either glaring or in Lacus's case casting him a gaze of disapproval.

"What? They did kiss once you know," Kai shrugged his shoulders. 'And people seem to like the idea of Lacus/Kira, when they would show zero physical affection, seriously it would be like a kindergarten relationship,' he thought.

"Dagger Thanos raised a boy like Akushi or Kyusai or whatever we call him, what's the chance that he isn't misleading the people under his command that he's not going to create people misguided in the way they do things?" Kira asked.

"One thing that has guided Dagger's men is the belief that they can leave whenever they want, few do, unless we count Akushi as someone under Thanos's command," John said.

"I do know Dagger as a man of his word; he also has a code of honour that I can't fully understand, probably because I've never served under him. His rise to power was almost inspiring, a common soldier rising to the greatest Special Forces commander of his time," Andy explained.

"We need to be cautious though, unlike Gekido," Kira said.

"Are we sure that this guy is Gekido?"

"I don't know, I'm starting to have doubts," Kira sighed.

"I wish Athrun was here," Cagalli said.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Minerva had arrived in the Arabian Peninsula and was approaching ZAFT's Mahamul base. Everyone was hard at work, carrying out the tasks that had been assigned to them. Engineers worked on the mobile suits alongside their pilots. One pilot however was thrashing around in his sleep. Silver Mask let out a yell as he awoke from yet another nightmare. He grabbed his helmet, sliding the contraption over his face and locking the clips into place. Walking out of his room, Silver Mask's red eye blinked in confusion as two soldiers passed by.

"In this quiet night I'm waiting for you…"

"Forgiving the past and dreaming of you!"

"Why are you two singing?" Silver Mask asked.

"Oh sorry sir, we didn't see you there, we just got a call from my cousin, he was at Lacus Clyne's concert the other day and sent us a video," the soldier pulled out his I-Pad, showing Silver Mask the recording.

"Look at that dress, I always thought Lacus Clyne was cute but now she's straight out hot," the soldier grinned.

"Hmmm, I suppose being hot is an improvement over being cute, I hate cuteness after all," Silver Mask growled slightly as he walked away.

He walked along the corridors of the ship, contemplating everything that had happened lately. Dagger Thanos had made it his intention to conquer Earth Alliance territories. Lacus Clyne or in actuality Meer Campbell was slipping further into the role of Durandal's puppet. The Archangel crew was just sitting around, waiting for the moment to strike, or at least that's how Biggs reported it. The ironclad defence of Bhishma Alhazard was holding back repeated attacks from ZAFT on Earth Alliance positions. Silver Mask had no doubt that eventually Bhishma would be transferred to a unit as prominent as Phantom Pain. If Bhishma did choose to allow himself to be transferred then he'd be an obstacle in the Minerva's path and the defences of those key positions in the alliance would suffer greatly. Phantom Pain had seemed to make it its personal goal to destroy the Minerva. That was a sign that Djibril saw them as a legitimate threat. Furthermore was the state of the Minerva crew itself.

'Bet the Archangel never had this many colliding personalities,' Silver Mask thought. 'On second thought I think it did,' he chuckled inwardly.

Shinn had been avoiding two pilots. Vincent Rach, the man he held responsible for his family's death and Athrun Zala, the famous pilot that had suddenly returned to ZAFT. Walking onto the hanger, Silver Mask gazed at the Purpose, the supposedly sentient machine looked at the launch catapult like a child waiting at the door.

"No, you can't go outside," Sheryl said, waving her finger at the machine like a mother would her child.

"Ignore it; the thing obviously doesn't have the strength to rip the hatch…DID YOU JUST FLIP ME OFF!" Branden yelled.

The machine retracted its finger as Sheryl turned to look at it. Branden waved his arms around, being held back by Joe and Kojiro. Silver Mask took the elevator down and walked over to his machine. It was stood next to the Saviour so he had a good view of Vino and Youlan's conversation.

"Her singing style has certainly changed hasn't it?" Vino asked.

They were obviously discussing "Lacus's" latest concert.

"Yeah, I like her better this way, its more upbeat," Youlan said.

"Then there's her outfit!"

"Oh yeah, now that is ho…"

"Ahem!"

Silver Mask stifled a laugh as Athrun walked up behind the two mechanics.

"I'm here for the Saviour's maintenance report," Athrun said.

Vino nodded his head, handing Athrun the report. As soon as the pilot was out of sight, the two mechanics sighed in relief.

"Wow, that guys sure lucky to have a fiancé like Lacus," Vino said.

"Do you think he'd noticed if we disconnected some of the Saviour's cables," Youlan grinned.

"I can still hear you," Athrun called out.

"WE CAN ALL HEAR YOU IDIOTS!" Nia yelled.

Vincent shook his head, laughing as Vino and Youlan cowered at Nia's approach.

"Keep your perverted comments to yourselves assholes, especially with the woman's fiancé on-board," she said, slapping them both across the head.

Vincent took the elevator down to the deck and walked away from his RX. He read a report handed to him by Sheryl and smiled as Nia walked by, wiping the dust off his fists. She stopped for a moment, saluting him. Again he shook his head with a smile. Athrun then walked up to him, handing him yet another report.

"This came to my desk first, what were you hoping to gain from this?" Athrun asked.

"That Shinn freed people that were intended to be slaves, Sensou has now finished relocating them," Vincent said.

"So you think he did the right thing?"

"There's rarely a right thing to do in war," Vincent sighed.

"Commander Rach, there's a message for you at the Comm. Station," a soldier ran up to Vincent.

"Sheryl, take these reports and approve any operations they suggest, I need to check this," Vincent said as he walked away.

Shinn watched the man walked to the communications terminal, looking at him with the same stare he used with Athrun.

"If you want to talk to him just go over there," Luna said.

Shinn huffed before walking away.

"Men," Luna muttered.

Vincent typed at the Comm. Station, highlighting and reading the email he had been sent. His eyes widened as he bought a hand to his head.

"No," he whispered.

Rubbing his eyes, Vincent walked back to the hanger.

"Commander, we were just wondering how long our shore leave would be when we get to base, also we've got a maintenance log on the RX…"

"Ask Sheryl, she's in direct contact with the Captain, as for the RX, give me the report and I'll read it when I have the chance," Vincent explained.

"Yes Commander," the mechanic replied.

Sheryl noticed the look in Vincent's eyes, a look she had seen before. Nia also noticed the change in the way Vincent carried himself, Shinn however didn't.

"Commander Rach, I wanted to talk to you about what happened the other day," Shinn said.

"Take whatever inquiries you have about the hostages to Sheryl, she's got all the information you need," Vincent dismissed the teenager, brushing past his shoulder.

"Rach try to watch where you're going, you damn near knocked me over," Shinn growled.

"AND WATCH YOUR TONE SOLDIER!" Vincent yelled.

Shinn widened his eyes slightly before glaring at the commander. Branden and Kojiro got out of their machines and walked over to the commotion.

"What's your problem huh? First you praise my actions yesterday and now your yelling at me like Zala, what did you think you couldn't suck up for my forgiveness?" Shinn asked.

Vincent squeezed his hands into fists, breathing heavily as he glared at Shinn. Youlan and Vino nervously looked between the commander and their friend, while Nia remained uncertain of whom she should support. Sheryl however, the oldest (and more mature than Joe) person present walked in between the two men. She did two things that shocked everyone present. First; she punched Shinn so hard that he fell to the ground.

"Wow, sweet punch," Joe muttered, causing Luna and Rey to look at him in dismay.

'Can't say he didn't have it coming,' Nia thought, hiding a grin.

Shinn looked up at Sheryl in shock as she stood over him.

"Durandal may have faith in you but all I see is a spoilt little punk who thinks he's the centre of attention. Yes you have skill but it takes a lot more than that to pilot a machine like the Gundam and even if you're more skilled than your commander you still have no right to say "shut up" over the radio or to have a show down with him about something as small as a shove." Sheryl explained.

Sheryl then turned to Vincent and slapped him across the face.

"I apologise Commander, feel free to have me disciplined later, but right now it's clear that you're not fit to carry out your duties," a comforting look spread across her face as she rubbed Vincent's cheek. "Take time off and do what you need to do," she said calmly.

She kept her calm and soothing expression as she pulled Shinn to his feet.

"Your deserving of praise Shinn but your reckless too, you're a young man with his whole life ahead of him, get your act together before it kills you," she explained, ruffling Shinn's hair.

Shinn stood in shock, sighing as Vincent walked away. Nia watched the blonde haired man leave and walked after him without hesitation. Sheryl however grabbed her by the arm.

"Let go," Nia growled.

"You watch your tone too Nia and take my advice, leave the Commander be, he deals with emotions on his own," Sheryl said.

"Great job so far," Nia muttered as she shoved past Sheryl.

Youlan and Vino ran to Shinn's side, followed slowly by Rey.

"Man I never knew Sheryl could be so aggressive, she was a little harsh," Vino said.

"Not really," Rey said.

"Tell that to my jaw," Shinn cringed.

"But what was with the complete one eighty turn?" Youlan asked.

"While it's true that Sheryl is an officer, she is also a woman," Kojiro said as he walked over the group.

Branden entered one of the elevators, with Luna following shortly afterwards. Shinn, Youlan and Vino got water canisters and sat around the Impulse's core while. Rey and Kojiro leant against the machine, both with their arms crossed.

"Sheryl was also once a mother," Kojiro lowered his head slightly, though his voice didn't betray his emotions.

"I didn't know that, wait did you say was?" Vino asked.

"Yes, Sheryl was very young when she had her son Wes. I'm not completely aware of their situation but before his death Wes had joined the Earth Alliance to become a mobile suit pilot. Though he didn't earn any medals in life or great victories, Wes was valued because of his talent and ability to pilot a machine that was greatly overworked. To my knowledge I know that Wes encountered his killer at least three times on the battlefield, perhaps more and perhaps even outside the battlefield," Kojiro explained.

Vino and Youlan both looked at Kojiro in shock, unaware of soldiers meeting outside the battlefield. The life of a soldier was complicated. Kira once met Andrew Waltfeld off the battlefield, while Gekido had his infamous duel with Miguel Aiman within the halls of Andy's mansion. Vincent himself recalled a time when he met a member of an extreme anti-war group. Soldiers on opposing sides could often meet without fighting, either because they are unaware of the other's allegiance or because at the time they were off duty and had no care for the conflict. Then there was the time that former enemies would meet as allies. Those were the complicated times of war.

"Who did kill Wes? Is the person even alive today?" Vino asked.

"Yes, he was a commander by the name of Noah Bagal!"

* * *

"That's right, Noah Bagal is back from the front, no need to start without me," The aquamarine haired coordinator grinned as he walked into the ZAFT briefing room.

Linda and Shadi both stood behind Noah with their hands behind their hips. They remained stoic to the fact that Noah had barged into the room mid briefing. The officer in charge of the base however looked at him with a glare. Athrun suppressed the urge to chuckle while Talia shook her head. Sheryl however, who was representing Sensou in Vincent's place remained unreadable. Noah walked over to the briefing table, looking at the highlighted areas.

"Ah, I see you guys have been stuck with the Positron cannon, you guys get the warm welcome from those terrorists while we get the hug from a giant Russian…in his mobile suit," Noah sighed.

"Correction Commander, those "terrorists" are in actuality Freedom fighters suffering from the oppression of Atlantic Federation forces in their area," Sheryl said.

"One man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist Miss Mercis," Shadi pointed out.

"Besides, I've read the reports and your "freedom fighters" have been just as brutal to Earth Alliance forces as they have to them. They've executed unarmed prisoners, your Commander was ruthless but he never shot people that actually gave up," Noah explained.

"Can we please move on to the secondary objective?" Athrun asked.

"Yes, as you know the Earth Alliance is maintaining an iron clad defence led by Bhishma Alhazard. We have reports that he will be demoted shortly because of his opposition of the treatment of prisoners of war and then put into a black ops unit. If this information is true this will substantially affect the defensive abilities of the Earth Alliance. But even without Alhazard they'll still maintain a determined defensive effort," the commander explained.

"Which is why you plan to slip a team into Alliance territory and destroy their supply depot," Linda said.

"By destroying their supply line you'll have affectively crippled the EA defensive line, with Alhazard gone they won't be able to main their defence and will have to abandon naval lines in order to protect their island fortresses," Athrun explained.

"Yes, with the absolute defence gone and their supplies destroyed we will push through the remaining Earth Alliance forces and retake the territories lost to us in the last war," the commander said.

"Looks like we've got it all sorted, but in case you haven't noticed my teams a little short," Noah said.

"A small team would work out better for this mission, drop in and establish a firm hold on the base before their forces arrive to retake it. But you won't be alone; you and your men will drop from the sky, while a small ECOAS unit will infiltrate the supply depot from the beach. We put the task force together on the way here, I'll be leading the engineering teams," Sheryl explained.

"I see," Noah mused.

Sheryl narrowed her eyes at the commander. He didn't look interested in what was going on, something that offended and infuriated Sheryl to no end.

"Some of the pilots from my ship will be joining you, while the Minerva will be working with desert forces seeking to take or destroy the Positron cannon," Talia said.

Linda nodded to her sister, but only to regard the order. She traded no smile or words of encouragement.

"Zack Tempest also volunteered to help you take the supply depot, apparently he didn't want to be paid for the operation," the commander said, raising his brow slightly in surprise.

Noah smirked, relishing at the opportunity to fight alongside the Minerva crew again. He was particularly eager to see Zack Tempest in action. The Newtype pilot was definitely worthy of his reputation, as well as his customised Neo Raptor. Though Noah was eager for the day the man from Jupiter would pilot a Gundam again, as he was always meant to. Sheryl noticed the gleam of excitement in Noah's eyes and grit her teeth together, keeping her mouth firmly shut to conceal her anger. Noah lazily saluted the people present before he walked out of the room.

"Thank you for the information, I will find Commander Rach and inform him of your decision sir," Sheryl said, respectfully saluting the ZAFT officer.

"I understand that Vincent Rach is young, but he mustn't overwork himself like he has been lately."

"Agreed," Sheryl nodded her head. "But unfortunately in this life we cannot always choose an easy option."

"Indeed, it was good to meet you Miss Mercis," the commander saluted Sheryl before he walked past her.

Sheryl saluted Athrun and Talia before walking down a separate corridor. She sighed as she made her way to Noah Bagal's "camp", the hanger his drop ship and mobile suits had been stored. Some of the younger pilots were polite enough to salute her, while one man merely wolf whistled at her. Sheryl was about to turn and smack the man when a wrench suddenly flew into his head.

"Somebody get that pervert to a medic, and let that be a lesson to the rest of you," Noah said, waving a second wrench at his recruits.

He was dressed in engineering overalls and working on modifications to his CGUE. Sheryl spotted some of the components and new that the CGUE would come out much more powerful than it was before. Noah jumped off of the suit, landing smoothly in front of Sheryl.

"Good to see you again Miss Mercis," Noah said.

"The feeling isn't mutual," Sheryl coldly stated.

"You know I was expecting your Commander, is there something wrong with him?" Noah asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Sheryl said.

"I do worry if Rach gets so fatigued he ends up sending the Sensou den mother to a mission briefing. I mean thank god some of our soldiers are tougher, the military would be a sad place if all our soldiers ended up losing their minds," Noah explained.

Sheryl squeezed her fists together.

'The nerve of this man,' she thought.

Her father had been in the military and had lived through the hell of the Middle Eastern uprisings. He had fought against child soldiers deployed by mercenary forces. Shadi himself had been one of numerous victims of a child soldier upbringing. But while religious fanatics deceived him, the mercenary forces had consisted of people brainwashed into accepting battle as a form of everyday life. Shadi and Sheryl's father had unknowingly fought in the same battles. One mercenary soldier, a boy with only one workable eye, had haunted them both. Despite the disability he fought with the ferocity of a cornered dragon, killing a large percentage of the attacking EA soldiers with a knife and rifle. This led to people within Shadi's camp referring to him as "the One Eyed Dragon". Sheryl's father had been forced to kill children, whilst seeing his friends gutted by a child who had seemed like he was possessed. The EA called the child "the Possessed One".

After returning from his military service, Sheryl's father was a shadow of his former self. He was disconnected from his family in a way that Sheryl and her mother couldn't understand. Despite the ray of light that had been Wes's birth, Sheryl knew that her father would always be haunted by his life as a soldier. It was only now that she understood that the life of a soldier was cruel and that if one wasn't strong enough it could potentially break them. She glared at Noah, causing him to raise his eyebrows slightly.

"You damned ignorant MURDERER!" Sheryl yelled.

Her outburst came as a shock to the people present and that shock deepened further when she grabbed the collar of Noah's shirt.

"It's all just a big joke to you isn't it? Good people, children die and someone like you goes on living and to be what, just another soldier? What more do you gain out of living, you cost people their siblings, husbands…their sons and you just keep repeating the same thing again and again," Sheryl explained.

Noah looked Sheryl in the eyes with a gaze of indifference.

"I see, so it's come to that then hasn't it, me killing your son. Well fine, if it's an apology you want to hear then here it is…I make **no** apologies!" Noah said casually.

Suddenly, Sheryl punched Noah in the face, once, then twice and a third time as the men around them moved to aid their commander.

"Commander Bagal," Linda said.

"STAY BACK! DO NOT INTERFERE!" Noah yelled, glaring at Sheryl defiantly.

Sheryl shook her head as he tears began gushing from her eyes. She couldn't bottle up her feelings anymore and desperately needed to let go. Before she had taken comfort in the bottle, now she sought to punish the man who took her son.

"Don't you get it huh? Don't you understand it at all? HE WAS MY SON! MY BABY!" she screamed as she punched Noah again and again.

Noah stood on the spot; fresh bruises spreading across his face. He looked down at Sheryl, his eyes betraying a small hint of regret as he watched the woman cry.

"How many sons do you think Branden, Kojiro and Vincent have taken? How many sons, daughters, husbands, wives, cousins and siblings? How many Sheryl Mercis? You yourself once beat a prisoner out of a sense of revenge, that's no different than any other misguided fighter. But know this your son…" Noah paused, thinking over whether his true thoughts on Wes were appropriate to speak to his mother about. "Your son…I…I felt no hatred for him, nor he for me. I took his life as a soldier, nothing more. Perhaps we could have been colleagues, even good friends, but unfortunately we were soldiers on opposing sides and when one chooses to live the life of a soldier, death being in your life is a certainty!"

After finishing his speech, Noah turned his back to Sheryl. He widened his eyes for a moment, seeing the image of a young man standing with his hands on his hips. The lad smiled at Noah and shook his head. Noah sighed as Sheryl wiped her tears. She got up off the floor and aimed a glare at the back of Noah's head.

"So long as I live I will never forgive you Noah Bagal, but I will fight with you, so long as we are still allies, good luck to you Bagal, keep your boys safe," Sheryl shot a quick salute before she walked away.

Linda and Shadi walked to their leader's side as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Are you happy with how that ended?" Linda asked.

"And was that the extent of your feelings?" Shadi crossed his arms and gave Noah a look that told him he would be unconvinced by any response he gave.

"It can't be helped," Noah sighed. 'Wes, what difference is it gonna make if I do tell her the truth as well as how…. proud of you I was?' he wondered as he looked up at his CGUE.

* * *

Vincent stood on the outer deck of the Minerva, looking at the setting sun. A sigh escaped his mouth as he looked at the unanswered message on his phone.

"I thought Asuka was the only one that held a phone possessively."

Vincent turned around, smiling slightly as Nia walked to his side.

"He thinks no one knows about it but we all know about it, he thinks we'll make fun of him for it but that's not true…its natural to cling to an object that reminds you of your loved ones," Nia explained, touching the pendant around her neck.

"I know that, I'm just thinking whether I really want to know what the last thing my Dad said to me was," Vincent sighed, putting the phone in his pocket.

'Oh Vincent' Nia thought as she moved to touch the Commander's shoulder.

"So you're both out here!"

'DAMN IT ZALA! IMPECCABLE FUCK TIMING!' Nia yelled from the confines of her mind.

Athrun walked over to the two pilots, running a hand over his hair as the wind blew.

"About the other day Vincent, do you really think that Shinn did the right thing?" Athrun asked.

"I don't know there's a right thing to do in war, I'm not as Naïve as Kira," Vincent said.

"He's not really that naïve either," Athrun smiled.

"Well he sure as hell didn't show it!"

Nia stepped back slightly, looking between the two men. An intense silence hung over them both before Vincent turned his back to Athrun.

"Whatever you've got to say Athrun I'm not interested in hearing it, I know what a soldier's life is," Vincent said as he began walking towards the exit.

Shinn walked onto the deck, brushing past Vincent. The burnt, blonde haired man focused his eyes on the back of Shinn's head.

"Shinn, I wanted you to know that the person who was in fact responsible for your family's death is dead, Saint Yuri, an Earth Alliance pilot, I killed him at Jachin Due. I hope you knowing that gives you some kind of comfort," Vincent explained before he left.

Nia followed close behind, shooting a glare at Shinn before she walked off the deck. Shinn shook his head slightly, shocked and torn by the news. His eyes then turned to Athrun, who looked at him with a casual expression.

"Does a guy in Faith have time to stand around like this?" Shinn asked.

Athrun smiled slightly, amused by Shinn's defiant tone.

"You know you have a habit of saying things to anger people, you've been hit twice for it and I'm pretty sure Commander Rach came close to hitting you too," he explained.

"Yeah well you should try understanding of my view of things too; I mean you were in Orb and now your back here, what's up with that?"

"I get it, you seem to have a problem with Orb and Rach, and I understand that your family was killed at Onogoro but I'm having a difficult time understanding why you're angry with…"

"KOJIROOO!"

"That sounded like Branden," Shinn said.

"Oh no," Athrun sighed.

**Several minutes earlier**

"So are Shinn and the commander still having problems?" Meyrin asked as she dried her hair.

She and her sister were both in the women's locker rooms. Luna stood in one of the showers, soaking her hair as Meyrin dried. The younger Hawke looked at the customised skirt her sister wore, abandoned on the bench. She picked the pink cloth up and thought of the size of her sister's waist in comparison to hers.

"Which one? He doesn't seem to like either of the CO's," Luna smirked.

"Well he was having a showdown with Vincent earlier and just the other day he was being backed up by him," Meyrin sighed.

"He was like that at the academy, he can be so immature that way," Luna said, soaking her hair in soap. "Hey speaking of immature, it's a little surprising that of all people Kojiro would switch the signs for the wash rooms, I mean we've been on this ship near a month now, whose he thinks he's going to fool?"

"I don't know," Meyrin said, only half interested.

She dropped her towel and put on her shirt. Picking up her sister's skirt she tied the cloth around her waist. She sighed as she expected the skirt didn't fit. The door suddenly swung open and Meyrin turned around, dropping the skirt. Standing at the doorway, shirtless and drenched in sweat was Branden. They looked at one another in shock, Meyrin staring wide-eyed at Branden's muscled chest while Branden's eyes drifted down Meyrin's smooth legs.

"What…WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE BOYS/GIRLS WASH ROOM!" they screamed, fierce blushes overcoming their natural skin colours.

"OI! What's going on here?" Luna asked.

"Damn it…KOJIROOO!"

**(B-Bird Gundam UC 4 Ending (No Vocals))**

Athrun looked at Shinn with a mixture of sympathy and understanding.

"I can't stop you from feeling this way, if you hold them both responsible then that's your baggage. You watched your family die so you formed an idea right?" Athrun asked.

"An idea," Shinn raised his eyebrows, confused by Athrun's statement.

"If only I had more power," Athrun said. "You're not the first person to shed tears over their powerlessness, you crave power to protect the people you cherish…"Athrun paused as he thought of three years ago, when he watched Junius Seven, the colony his mother was on blow up before his eyes.

Sheryl stood in front of the Purpose Mark 2, both chiding it for leaving the ship and lecturing the ZAFT soldiers.

"He's on our side, he just wanted to get off of that ship and explore, you can't blame a child for curiosity nobodies gotten hurt," Sheryl explained.

Her memories drifted to her son, when she bandaged his cuts when he fell. Noah closed his eyes, imagining a Strike Dagger slamming its sabre into his CGUE's shield. Nia touched her pendant as she walked, recalling an oath she and her sister had made. She remembered separating from her sister Lain, both of them tearing their whole pendant apart to strengthen their bond and oath.

'We'll always be together' Nia smiled.

She then looked to Vincent who rushed over to the ZAFT soldiers.

"That's enough all of you, I'm in charge here so follow my order and stand down," Vincent glared at the soldiers.

"Once you have that power, you become the person who makes other cry," Athrun sighed as he walked past Shinn.

"KOJIROOO! Get back here you asshole," Branden growled as he ran after Kojiro.

Kojiro slipped into his mobile suit, conveniently running a diagnostic of the cockpit, whilst Branden smashed his fists against the machine. Vino and Youlan laughed while Rey hid a smile. Talia looked at her son's photo, just as Linda thought of her nephew. Durandal moved his chess pieces into place, running a hand over his hair as he sighed.

"Something's must come to pass," he sighed.

Vincent raised his head as he saw the ZAFT technicians rolling out the EMP unit Tieria had been designing. He ran over to the mechanics, unknowingly dropping his phone.

"What are you three doing?" he asked.

"This machine can shut down mobile suits right, that thing is a danger to us all, we need to shut it down and commence a thorough check of its systems before we decide to trust it," the commander explained.

"You'll do no such thing, besides you have no idea how to work it," Vincent said.

The other mechanics turned away from the machine. Vincent nodded his head in approval as he began walking away. While the other mechanics sighed, the commander walked the devices control unit. He pressed several buttons and turned the dial for the power output. Vincent widened his eyes as he heard the machine activate.

"Remember that and you'll become a good pilot, if you forget it then the only thing you'll be is an idiot," Athrun said as he walked away from Shinn.

"STOP THE MACHINE'S UNSTABLE!" Sheryl yelled as the Gundam "bomb" surged with energy. "COMMANDER MOVE!"

Vincent was frozen in place as the device exploded, releasing a blast of Arc energy mixed with GN particles. The Purpose Mark 2 moved forward, kneeling behind Vincent and using its arms as shields.

"VINCENT!" Nia yelled as she ran over to the scene.

The other Minerva crewmembers stopped what they were doing, hearing or in Shinn's case seeing the explosion in the distance.

"VINCENT! COMMANDER ARE YOU OKAY!"

Nia and Sheryl ran over to the Purpose as it separated its arms. A digitised cry escaped the Gundam's speakers as it looked at Vincent. Sheryl and Nia both widened their eyes in horror as the curled up Vincent screamed. His face had been burnt beyond recognition, strands of his hair were spread out around his head and Nia covered her mouth as she saw a fragment of bone on his cheek, yet he was still alive and in complete agony. The Purpose stood up and raised its hands to its head.

_"You see brother, to love is to cherish and to lose that love is war…no… one might even say that it is life! The kind of life we seek!"_

The Purpose squeezed its hands into fists and released a howl that echoed through the base.

Next Chapter 27: A half ready job, Attack the Lohengrin

* * *

Thats the chapter everyone, find out what happens next time


	28. Attack the Lohengrin

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

Hey guys, I'm back with the first part of a take on the Attack the Lohengrin episode. Sensou and ZAFT recover from Vincent's accident and begin their first step to taking Earth Alliance territory. 00virtuezero edited and added in some scenes. The end of the chapter will also see the glorious (named after the song from the Another Century Episode 2 game) trailer for my next fic Gundam Purpose Rise, or Gundam Rise Purpose. There have been trailers in my other fics but this one really sets the enjoy the story

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 27: A half ready job, attack the Lohengrin

News had spread fast of the incident that hospitalised Vincent. Flay sighed as she read Sheryl's report. For now Sensou's commanding authority in combat situations was inactive and all responsibilities turned to Flay. She assigned troops and did everything she could to return things to normal. But still she could not stop the surge of mail that came from Vincent's loyal soldiers, nor could she prevent the incident from being leaked to the public. That's why she allowed Durandal to make the announcement concerning Vincent's fate. The Dark haired man stood in the TV station with cameras gathered around him.

"I announce with great regret that due to an unfortunate malfunction in equipment Commander Vincent Rach of the Sensou forces has been left in critical condition. Commander Rach is a good man and a valuable contributor to Earth's continued peace and the independence of the colonies, but despite his accident I remain confident that the Commander will be back on duty and protecting the Plants from harm," Durandal explained.

But while ZAFT and Sensou forces on the battlefield were resuming their duties, the Minerva crew was beginning to grow tense due to ZAFT's involvement in Vincent's accident.

"Your commander shouldn't have kept details of a captured mobile doll secret, he should have told us," one ZAFT soldier said.

"Agreed, but it was your comrades that turned on a device they had no experience in using," a Sensou pilot said.

The crowd of Sensou and ZAFT soldiers glared at one another, inches from beginning a fistfight.

"Its because of ZAFT's incompetence!"

"That thing was built by Natural scientists wasn't it?"

All out fists fights would have broken out between the supposedly allied forces, if not for the cool heads of the officers. Vincent's dream of a united ZAFT and Sensou force was now under threat. But the Alliance itself was a small concern to the crew of the Minerva. Arthur took Shinn and his friends to the medical bay, where Kojiro and Branden waited. Nia sat on one of the benches, listening to her music. She kept her head low and squeezed her music player in frustration. The Minerva pilots all looked hesitantly at the med bay door, whilst Branden paced around the room. Kojiro watched his friend walk around, recognising Branden's anger. Suddenly, Branden punched the wall, causing Meyrin to jump.

"Damn it, if it wasn't for that damn machine, none of this would have happened," he growled.

"Branden, Tieria had no way of…"

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT MACHINE!" Branden yelled.

"The Purpose," Shinn muttered, squeezing his hands into fists.

"That thing gets curious and because of that curiosity the Commander's in there fighting for his life," Branden growled, smacking the wall again.

Meanwhile, Sheryl walked to the med bay after informing the other Sensou commanders of the incident. She held her communicator, an image of Tieria Erde appearing before her eyes.

"Our observers informed us of Commander Rach's injuries, if there was some way I could help then I would," Tieria said.

"Celestial Being and the Innovators have far greater technology than ours, could they heal Vincent's injuries?" Sheryl asked.

"Possibly, but much of our members are already in deep space, in fact a very important member has been in deep space ever since the war ended two years ago. If I could locate him then it may be possible for Celestial Being to launch the machine we have been building, its ability to turn thoughts into action may heal some of the internal damage to the Commander's body," the Innovade explained.

Sheryl nodded her head, knowing that it was a long shot, and that it probably wouldn't even be possible considering how difficult it was to find Celestial Being. She put her communicator away as she walked to the Minerva group. Her eyes fell on Nia and she saw the empty expression in her eyes.

"Nia, turn the music down," Shinn growled.

But Nia ignored him, despite the fact that the music was so loud Sheryl had heard it from the corner. Sheryl herself didn't make any attempt to stop her, as she had seen the admiration the girl had formed for the Commander recently. Nothing but the violent pulses of Nia's music could be heard for a few minutes before the door finally opened. The first thing Sheryl noted was that the ZAFT doctor looked more like a scientist than a medical professional. It unnerved her slightly, bringing back unwanted memories. She cast those memories aside to focus on the man's report.

"Is the Commander going to be okay?" Nia asked, moving ahead of the others.

"As some of you may have heard, the Commander's body has suffered severe radiation burns, particularly on his face," the doctor began.

"But he's been burnt before and survived," Shinn pointed out.

Some part of the boy must have been worried about the commander. Though no one could tell whether it was because he had a respect for the man, or because he wanted the man to die another way. The doctor flipped over some of his notes, as if reading a script.

"Considering the unique properties of the energy that burnt him and the severe cellular damage, simple skin grafts may not be enough. Until a permanent treatment has been found I'm referring the commander's case to the chairman's expertise," he said.

"What can the chairman do?" Arthur asked.

"Before he got into politics the Chairman was a gifted medical doctor," Rey said.

"That's true; he's suggested temporary cybernetic grafts to the Commander's face and medication that'll slow the gradual decay."

"Gradual decay? What are you talking about?" Luna asked.

"I am sorry I didn't get to the heart of the matter, Commander Rach's burns have all but wiped away his prior appearance but that is not what concerns us. As you know the commander is gifted with a unique muscle memory that allows him to memorise and repeat actions performed by another, this can include mobile suit techniques or even exact human movements, like the specific movement a basketball player might make for a perfect throw."

"Is this leading anywhere?" Sheryl asked impatiently.

"Yes, you see a part of the commander's brain had specifically adapted to enable him to store this vast amount of information without it affecting his long and short term memories. However the energy didn't just cause tissue damage to his skin, but to his brain as well," the doctor explained.

Luna and Meyrin gasped as Nia widened her eyes. She stepped back slightly as the doctor dropped another shell shocking piece of information.

"This hasn't affected his personality and it may not even affect his distant childhood memories, but recent events that have occurred within the last six months may become little more than a blur to him. As his photographic reflexes gain more moves, his memories of people, events and his connection to those events will suffer, in fact he may forget certain things entirely like a report or a conversation he's had, even people," the doctor lowered his eyes slightly.

The members of the piloting team all reacted in their own ways. Shinn was caught between anger and regret as he realised that the man responsible for his sister's death might actually forget his guilt. Kojiro remained impassive, but inside he thought of the possible consequences this would have for Sensou. With Vincent's memory crippled he would be more of a liability than an asset as a commander. That would mean that responsibility for Sensou would fall solely in the hands of Flay.

"DAMN IT!" Branden yelled.

He punched at the wall, his eyes closed as his body shook hysterically.

"He'll forget us?" Luna asked.

'He'll forget what made him feel sad?' Nia wondered. 'But that email he received, he'll read it again and again and every time he'll feel the same sense of sorrow…oh Vincent!'

Nia dropped her music player and marched towards the door.

"Wait, you can't go in there," the doctor said.

"Let us see him damn it," Nia growled.

"Nia stop, that's an order," Arthur said.

Nia stopped walking, gritting her teeth together as Rey touched her shoulder.

"The chairman is a good doctor, he'll have a treatment that'll at least make the commander fit for combat," he said.

'Bad move Za Burrel,' Sheryl sighed.

"Fit for combat!" Nia, and unexpectedly Kojiro spoke simultaneously.

"And what about fit for **living**, not all of us live in our uniforms like you Rey," Nia growled.

"Commander Rach may forget everything that happened two years ago, everything that turned him into the man he was today. That and he'll have to relive the guilt and regret caused by hundreds of deaths that were on his command. His skills in battle won't suffer but the commander was more than skill, he was an inspiration to his troops, he got to know our families, our histories, and us. Now there's the possibility of him forgetting those bonds, of us being mere strangers to him!"

Sheryl and Branden didn't expect the anger in Kojiro's voice. In fact Kojiro's eyes now had more emotion than they had shown in the two years they had known him. But his eyes quickly returned to normal as he lowered his fists.

"Excuse me, but I must go, there are adjustments I must make to the Kenshin!"

"Kojiro, where are you going?" Branden asked.

"There is nothing we can do for the commander, we have a mission to prepare for," Kojiro said dismissively as he walked away.

Sheryl sighed as she turned to the doctor.

"What is the chairman planning to do to treat the Commander's neural decay?" she asked.

"He has composed the design of a device that'll regularly inject the commander with a formula to hold back further decay; in fact it'll even help to repair some of the damage. The device will also relay information to the Commander, reminding him of people and events so that he will not completely forget them," the doctor explained.

"But will his connection to those people still remain?" Nia asked.

"At this point it's hard to say," the doctor sighed.

"Send the schematics for this device to my office on the Minerva!"

The pilots turned around, shocked to see Silver Mask standing before them.

"Yes, I would like a copy of them as well," Sheryl said.

"Why?"

"This device obviously links directly with Vincent's brain, we must be aware of all the devices uses," Silver Mask said.

"Very well, if it'll sate your curiosity I will have the schematics sent to both your offices," the doctor explained.

Silver Mask nodded his head before he turned and walked away.

'Durandal, just what are you planning?' he wondered.

* * *

Simon sighed as he leant his head against his pillow. Days had passed since he had a chance to take the Liberty into battle. He would have said that the Earth Alliance forces were deliberately trying to keep him out of battle, if he didn't already know better. Right now the Alliance brass was held back by fear, the fear of the power Gekido Jaeger's family had. Heiwa was steadily changing Eurasia and was in the first stages of helping it out of its depression. Yet still rebellions had been formed against the Atlantic Federation. Then there were talks of an imminent ZAFT attack in that region. If Heiwa and his other siblings were truly willing to go against the Alliance in order to change Eurasia, then they had painted themselves as targets.

'Can you truly be called my "brother"?' Simon wondered.

Ever since Heiwa revealed that he is Gekido's twin; so many questions began enter into Simon's mind such as did this mean that there were even more Cyber Psyches out there? How many of them were running around? Where they connected with the ones who were on with the Zala loyalists at the "Break of the World Incident"? Could he trust his newly discovered "family"?!

He rolled onto his side, rubbing his hair in frustration. Then there was his brother, the original Cyber Psyche Gekido Jaeger. IF he really was loyal to ZAFT and not the Earth Alliance, then the Jaeger family, Simon included were twice as likely to be considered threats to Djibril.

"Damn it Gekido, what are you doing?" he asked.

A sudden chime at the door knocked Simon away from his thoughts. He climbed off the bed and walked to the door. Blinking in confusion, he recognised the woman standing at attention.

"Hello Mr Jaeger, sorry to disturb you, I am Jessica, Mr Israfel would like to speak with you," the young girl said.

Simon nodded his head, adjusting the collar of his jacket as he followed Jessica. But as opposed to going to Israfel's office, they went to the hanger. Cain and Israfel were already waiting. They both stood at the foot of the Liberty, thought Simon noticed significant changes to its back. It now sported a straight winged flight pack. The beam sword had been removed and instead had two solid swords on the hips. Both swords looked nearly European in nature, like the kind a knight would use in a duel. Jeremiah snuffed his cigarette out on the mobile suit's leg (much to Jessica's annoyance) and walked over to Simon.

"I hope you like what I've done with your Gundam. It's now capable of fighting an even battle with ZAFT's Impulse Gundam," Jeremiah said.

"Though I would recommend attacking the Impulse when it changes its equipment," Cain chimed in.

Jeremiah waved his friend off and put his arm around Simon's neck. He jerked the boy in a friendly headlock.

"He's just jealous that the machine I made for him isn't a Gundam," he whispered, causing Simon to chuckle.

"The belief that the Gundams are supernatural in some way is foolish," Cain said.

"Ha, tell that to those supposedly secret GN-tech Gundams, I've heard that one's capable of teleporting…now that would be a sight to see," Jeremiah sighed.

"Scientifically impossible," Cain shook his head.

"Only cause you don't know the science of it," Jeremiah grinned.

Jessica coughed, breaking the two men away from their argument.

"Anyway, I upgraded your machine because I believe that you may very well come to represent what your brother was to our troops in the last war. Heiwa and his siblings may have given up, but I have faith that you will achieve something beyond what your brother was capable of," Jeremiah explained.

"What's that?" Simon asked.

"Lead our forces against not just ZAFT, but the very people that push our lands into war, that pour resources into their hatred instead of the economy," anger flashed in Jeremiah's eyes, causing Cain to shake his head.

"Blue Cosmos, Logos, whatever scheme you make Jeremiah is of little consequence to them, Djibril is in charge and whether he deserves the power or not is irrelevant. Our enemy is ZAFT and anyone else who would try to bring down the order that has been established," Cain explained.

"So if the soldiers said no, if they said no to killing all coordinators or fulfilling an order of Djibril's…what if they campaigned for Djibril and his colleagues resignations, even their executions, who would be your enemy then?" Simon asked.

"Campaigned, don't be naïve, soldiers will not go to such lengths, when we kill a person we do not shed tears for the death of a stranger and that is what all coordinators are to us. If one of our soldiers was told to shatter a colony they would feel nothing because the people in that colony are strangers to them. In the end we as soldiers and even human beings themselves become numb to the death of others," Jeremiah looked at his friend with pity.

'Cain, have you been tortured by humanity so badly that you've given up all hope of change?' Jeremiah wondered.

Simon looked up at his machine and narrowed his eyes in a furious determination. He would pilot this machine and achieve the same dream his brother had.

* * *

While Simon received his new and improved mobile suit, Shinn and the other pilots of the Minerva went through very different preparations. Branden had walked away from Kojiro, choosing not to stay with the man that (to Branden) casually abandoned the Commander. Kojiro oversaw the transfer of several ground type GM's and 'Imitation Gundams' into the Sensou 'Landmaster' carrier.

"Bring the dop cannons and assault rifles, we don't have time to adjust the beam rifles for heat convection," Kojiro said.

The technicians nodded their heads before moving trucks filled with shell ammunition onto the carrier. Kojiro passed the data pad to another Sensou officer and walked to the Kenshin. He powered the machine up and moved onto the Landmaster. Branden however kept the Murasama on the Minerva. He began adjusting the OS for heat convection, as well as other problems he would face in the Gulnahan Ravine. Luna walked through the corridors of the Minerva, stopping when she saw her sister at a computer.

"What are you looking up sis?" Luna asked, leaning against Meyrin's chair.

"Commander Rach's condition," Meyrin said.

Luna sighed as she read the horrific cases that had been very similar to Vincent's. One mistake Gekido made was believing that Vincent was an ordinary man. The reality was that he was one of a rare few with photographic reflexes. Since the time of George Glen, people with these extraordinary muscle memories began to appear and much like the Newtype phenomenon they were not without their disadvantages. Some people with PF (photographic reflexes) excelled in physical sports and mimicking precise movements, yet suffered when it came to remembering their emotions. Others could remember techniques and other things, yet would forget something they had done merely a day ago.

"Poor guy," Luna said.

"The doctors think that the Commander's brain developed so that it wouldn't have these problems, but the accident damaged these portions of his brain," Meyrin sighed.

"Rey seems to have faith that Vincent will pull through."

"Thank goodness the Chairman was also a doctor."

The sisters continued researching Vincent's unique brain condition. Silver Mask however sat in his office and the dimmed lights reflected off of his helmet. The mask was at his desk, and he was looking over a holographic image of the device Durandal was going to use on Vincent. It was a mask, built with a black cloth to cover Vincent's mouth, while a metallic mask would cover his head completely. The mask was designed to make it look like a skull.

"Even in tragedy you find some way to benefit from it don't you Durandal?" the man behind the mask asked aloud.

He huffed as he pressed a button, deactivating the projection. The mask looked more like a propaganda tool than a treatment for brain damage. Sheryl however, who looked at the device from the perspective of an engineer found very different uses. She was currently in a videoconference with Flay.

"The mask interfaces directly with Vincent's brain, giving him information as well as regular shots of a drug that'll slow the brain damage. The formula is based on a medicine used in the treatment of people with incomplete genetic structures," Sheryl explained.

"How could you know that?" Flay asked.

"About eighteen years ago I was working on a genetics project as an engineer; I caught a glimpse of lists with chemical recipes very similar to the concoction of chemicals the chairman plans to put into Vincent's brain."

Flay put a hand to her cheek as she leant back into her chair.

"Tell me Sheryl, could this device be used to alter Vincent's mind as opposed to treat it?" she asked.

"You know, I got the feeling that that was the reason why Silver Mask didn't like the idea of the machine," Sheryl said.

"A few weeks ago I wouldn't have questioned Durandal's decision to use this on Vincent, but now, with this other Lacus and Kira abducting Cagalli…it's probably nothing," Flay sighed.

"We must stay the course, that was Vincent's order, until Vincent himself tells us otherwise we need to continue to strengthen the bonds between our two militaries," Sheryl explained.

"You're willing to say that even with your hatred of Noah Bagal?" Flay asked.

Sheryl grit her teeth together, somewhat outraged by Flay's statement.

"Noah killed my son Flay, that's something I can never forgive the individual for. But I'm willing to work with ZAFT until such a time as you or Vincent decides that this alliance is valid," Sheryl saluted the chairwoman before she cut the line.

She looked at the picture of her son and sighed. This was the only option she could see. Unbeknownst to Sheryl, Noah had been sitting outside of the office the whole time.

'Wes, you've got one amazing mother,' he thought.

Noah and Sheryl would both lead another ZAFT carrier through the gap of Alhazard's defence. Nia and Joe joined as part of the mobile suit team. Though Joe was already at the submarine carrier, Nia visited Vincent. Despite the doctor's recommendation she walked into the hospital room. Vincent had been stripped of his uniform and now wore a hospital gown, with numerous bandages covering his face. A mask had also been put over his mouth, pouring painkillers directly into his throat. Nia's hand shook as she held onto the bed railing.

"Fuck, why did this happen?" she wondered. "I told you I'd help you out, but I did nothing, I should have seen those idiots and told them to stop, maybe then this wouldn't have happened," she stepped back, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"The only people at fault were the idiots that used an unfamiliar machine, and that Gundam," Shinn said as he walked to the opposite side of Vincent's bed.

"I didn't expect you to visit, or were you planning on cutting off his life support?" Nia asked bitterly.

"Don't give me that look, the commander…I admit that the commander is a good man, he defended my actions the other day, even when Athrun was hitting me about it…he understands that there are certain people you've gotta take down, yet at the same time he's…" again Shinn hesitated, unable to find the right words.

"He's kind and gentle, he doesn't like the role that he plays," Nia said.

Shinn widened his eyes slightly, surprised by the affection in Nia's voice and eyes. She always seemed so hostile towards him and the others. But then Commander Rach came and somehow drew Nia out of her shell.

"Why aren't you going to join us in the next battle?" Shinn asked.

"I can't be on that ship right now, not with that machine still in the hanger," Nia growled.

"The Purpose Mark 2, apparently the chairman called, said that this issue about the Gundam's supposed sentience won't be resolved until after the commander wakes up," Shinn sighed.

"I'm going to take that supply depot, not just for the chairman but for the commander too," determination filled Nia's eyes as she let go of the rails.

Shinn watched her leave before turning his attention back to Vincent. He leant in close to the man and whispered something into his ear.

"You still owe me an explanation for my family, Mayu Asuka that was my sister's name, so don't you dare forget it," he said fiercely.

Vincent's finger twitched, though the action went unnoticed by Shinn. The young pilot walked out of the room; unaware of the sharp breath the commander took before falling back into unconsciousness.

"Mayu Asuka!" he had said.

Two operations that felt less prepared than they should have been left the base that day. One would cross the sea, to attack a seemingly insignificant region. The Minerva however and its permanent crew would travel through the Gulnahen ravine. As the three carriers hovered across the rocky landscape, a small jeep drove up behind the Minerva. Its driver, a local girl dressed in combat fatigues removed her glasses. She gazed at the ship, seeing it as the best hope her people had. The cargo hatch opened and the girl drove the jeep straight into the Minerva's hanger.

"The rebels recruit a little young don't they?" Branden asked the girl as they walked around the hanger.

"I've been fighting since the Earth Alliance occupied our lands, where was Sensou when that was happening?" the girl asked back.

"Look lady we're a small organisation and the only ones really dedicated to the peace, so if you've got complaints take em to our leader, oh wait he's in the hospital in critical condition," Branden sent a glare in the Purpose's direction.

Unknown to the little girl, the machine looked to where the two of them once stood before lowering its head. Silver Mask and Arthur waited at the elevator, with Silver Mask impatiently tapping his finger against his arm. He raised his head slightly as he saw how young the girl was.

"I see adults can't fight their own battles," he sighed. "Then again when it's your home, it becomes your battle," Arthur blinked in confusion over the masked man's words, causing him to sigh yet again.

"Thank you for coming, I don't think we could have held out for much longer," the little girl said as she approached Arthur and Silver Mask.

She looked at Silver Mask with a shocked expression and fidgeted as the man ruffled her hair.

"You're welcome kid, but keep in mind that our men that are going to take all the damage, Chairwoman Alster will also recommend a Sensou presence in your town afterwards," Silver Mask explained.

"You seem so sure that you're going to win," the girl said.

"So what information do you have on their battle strength?" Arthur asked.

"Whoa, Arthur quit rushing the girl, we've gotta reach the briefing room first," the masked man said as they stepped into the elevator.

The ride was a short one and the walk to the briefing room seemed even shorter. Every one of the main Minerva pilots had been assembled, along with Sensou and ZAFT green suit pilots. Shinn and his group sat at the front, while Kojiro leant on one side of the room.

"Damn it, they couldn't install another chair?" Branden asked as he joined Kojiro.

"Welcome to the Minerva Miss Conile, do have the data?" Athrun asked.

"Yes, though is this everyone?" Conile asked.

"For this kind of operation it is best if we move in a group this size," Kojiro said.

"Kojiro is right, we have other operations currently going on that will secure your borders. Now everyone pay attention," Athrun said as he activated the projector.

"You are currently looking at a view of the area; this point here is our target, while across from that is Miss Conile's home. The Earth Alliance currently has a headquarters built into the mountain, it houses a powerful Lohengrin cannon that they have used to decimate our forces in the past, though it is vulnerable when exposed, the Lohengrin is protected by a mobile armour in possession of a reflector shield," Athrun turned to Shinn as he spoke, "You encountered one similar when you left Orb."

"That's right," Shinn nodded his head.

Luna cast a disapproving look at the lack of respect Shinn had in his voice.

"Taking into account the number of forces we have, the attack will take place in three groups. Kojiro and the Kenshin will lead ground forces in an attack on the front of the base, they will force the Alliance to reveal their Lohengrin cannon, then myself, Silver Mask, the Purpose and Branden will attack from above, striking directly at their mobile suit forces. The key to this battle will be this highlighted cave network, the Impulse will fly through the cave with its core components and attack the Earth Alliance base directly," Athrun explained. "Shinn this task falls to you, the cave is incredibly narrow and vision will be limited. Miss Conile please give him the flight data!"

Conile looked at the black disc in her hand and noted Shinn's attitude. She cast a disapproving look before turning to Athrun.

"This mission is too important, isn't there someone better qualified for it?" Conile asked.

"Better qualified? Why you!"

"Shinn sit down, Miss Conile I assure you Shinn is the best person qualified to carry out this task," Athrun said calmly.

'Oh Zala, always the saint,' Silver Mask thought.

"What about you, or that guy," Coline pointed to Silver Mask.

'That guy?' he thought.

"That's a good point, why not let Athrun do it?" Arthur asked.

"Enough, Shin is going to fly the mission."

'And once again Athrun proves his competency for command,' Silver Mask grinned.

"Forget it, if there's doubts about whether I can do it then you take the data," Shinn said.

'WAAAH WAAAH! I have a stick up my ass cause some little girl questioned my competency!'

"Shinn I wouldn't give you a mission if I didn't think you could handle it!"

'That's right Athrun, show the kid whose boss, without the pathetic attempt at a Bright slap!'

Shinn huffed as he stood up and took the disc from Conile.

"You have to follow the data precisely, even a fraction off and you'll crash," she said.

"I get it," Shinn huffed.

"Don't fail, please don't fail," a pleading look crossed Conile's eyes. "We can't live under the Earth Alliance's authority anymore. The other day we were planning to attack, but the new commander of the base came with his men. A masked man that called himself General Spirbreak, he burnt down one of our homes, took some of our people prisoner and even executed them and that was before we could even launch any kind of attack," she explained.

"General Spirbreak, did he pilot a customised machine with four eyes?" Silver Mask asked.

Conile nodded her head.

"Very well, I'll take care of that guy," he said. The masked pilot clenched his fists.

Shinn looked at the disc as a wave of determination filled his body. He knew now that he couldn't fail and he promised the girl that he wouldn't.

The pilots left the briefing room, with Rey and Luna following him.

"You know that was a pretty amazing thing you did back there," Luna said, catching Athrun's attention.

"How so?" he asked.

"Shinn was always questioning authority at academy, he got a in a trouble a lot, it's good to see that you can handle him like that," Luna explained.

"You're wrong, I didn't really 'handle' Shinn, he's not a bad person, just a little awkward socially," Athrun said as he summoned the elevator. "I'm awkward too!"

Luna stood stunned as Athrun took the elevator.

"Did he just brush me off?" he asked Rey.

The blonde haired pilot muttered, unable to come up with a satisfying response. Silver Mask leant against the wall, smiling at the scene.

'Socially awkward huh,' he thought, looking up at the ceiling. 'You two aren't the only ones,' he sighed.

ZAFT and Sensou suits had been positioned across the landscape, with some even standing on the ships. Luna, Rey and Kojiro took position on the Minerva, brandishing their weapons. Silver Mask climbed into the Aero, powering up its phase shift armour.

"Athrun, if you don't mind I'd like to move in first," he said.

"Sure thing, but I want you to keep an eye on the Purpose," Athrun said.

"That won't be necessary, the Purpose has learnt its lesson," Silver Mask's eye stopped glowing as he lowered his head.

He took a deep breath and stepped onto the catapult. The Aero grabbed its rail rifle from the weapon rack, Silver Mask and the Aero Gundam's eyes glowed as its wings slid out.

_(Zips Undercover Remix)_

"Silver Mask, Aero Dusk Gundam! LAUNCHING!"

The Aero Gundam shot out of the catapult, immediately changing to jet mode. It took on a gold appearance as it utilised the full power of the Arc system. Like a bullet, it flew straight towards the Earth Alliance forces. Beams, bullets and fire flew past it, hitting the regions of the EA base. A shower of beams and missiles flew at the Aero, forcing it to move at impossible speed. Silver Mask clutched his chest for a moment before rocketing forward. He flew high over the Earth Alliance base, switching his Gundam to suit mode. Raising the rail rifle, Silver Mask levelled the weapon on the formation of mobile suits in the centre of the defensive line.

"How about this!" Silver Mask growled.

The gold glow across the Aero's body passed to the barrel of the rail rifle and unleashed an incredible gold blast. It struck the ground, melting two Daggers.

"Only two, stupid coordinators, they really think they're going to wipe us out with a single shot?" the Earth Alliance officer asked.

"The Rail rifle doesn't just function as a gun!"

Silver Mask moved the Aero's arm, dragging the beam like the blade of a sword. He consumed several Daggers, yelling like an animal as he cut them down.

"There, a gap you need to move towards the Lohengrin, you'd better take it Shinn," the masked man growled.

Suddenly, the Rail rifle and the Aero's right arm blew up, knocking Silver Mask to the side. Several missiles then slammed into his back, knocking him forward on his seat.

"I died once, I'm not gonna die again," he said defiantly.

"Silver Mask needs help," one of the Sensou soldiers said.

"Then let's take advantage of the shot he gave us," A Zaft soldier said.

An Ocher type Ginn raised its ion cannon as a ground Gundam opened its missile launcher. They fired, hitting the mobile suits attacking the masked man. Three ground GM fired their bazookas, striking at the EA front line. Two Squads of Ocher Ginn's then fired volleys of rifle fire, followed by a hail of missiles from the ZAFT and Sensou land ships.

"Damn it, bring out the Ghells Ghe, and the Lohengrin cannon," The Alliance officer said.

A masked man standing behind the officer sighed. A metallic mask hid his grotesque appearance. He walked down towards the base's hanger, looking at a four-eyed machine.

"The Gells Ghe isn't the only mobile armour that looks like a suit," he said.

Climbing into the machine, the masked man smirked as the Gells Ghe was launched next to it. While the Gells Ghe and its other fellow next gen mobile armours required three pilots, the Breaker Gundam only needed one cyber psyche pilot.

"It is time for me to break the spirits of the people one more time, beginning with you SILVER MASK!" General Spirbreak yelled.

Silver Mask dived headfirst into battle, cutting down Daggers with his beam sword. He turned around, deflecting a beam from a Dagger behind him. Then he unceremoniously threw his sword at the Dagger, spearing it and the machine behind it. Several beams flew from above, destroying the four Daggers behind the Aero. The Murasama and the Saviour flew into the fray, the latter switching to Gundam mode. Athrun fired his beam rifle, hitting Daggers left and right. Branden flew straight through a volley of missiles, crushing the artillery trucks with the Muramasa's feet.

"All right Shinn, there's your path, you'd better take it," Silver Mask sighed.

_(End Zips Under Cover Track)_

"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor launching!"

The main components of the Impulse launched out of the Minerva, but took a separate route from the main force. Following the data he had been given, Shinn travelled to the cave system. The core splendor flew into the narrow corridor, with Shinn widening his eyes at what he saw.

"What the hell? They never said anything about it being this dark," he gasped.

Shinn grit his teeth together as he flew the core through the narrow pathways. He felt a rock grind against his wing, and the feelings of claustrophobia begin to kick in.

"Damn it, he was just talking bull shit, he just didn't want to go through this himself," Shinn growled.

His breathing began to grow slower as his goal became clearer. He couldn't fail, that mindset dominated his motivation as the image of Conile appeared in his mind. Meanwhile Silver Mask cut down another mobile suit and looked to the EA hanger as two mobile armours emerged. One was the Gells-Ghe as Silver Mask expected. But the other was entirely different mobile armour. Like the Gells-Ghe it had a mobile suit body attached to it. But instead of a used Strike Dagger, the Breaker mobile armour used the body of a Strike Gundam, with four red eyes. Dragon fangs had been attached to its arms while the rest of the mobile armour resembled the body and legs of a crab.

"Hello Silver Mask," general Spirbreak cackled.

"Another general of Uragiri's forces, tell me is Uragiri alive?" Silver Mask asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know, perhaps she is, perhaps she was a merely a tool for something else, or perhaps we're all just crazy and following ghosts. It matters not, for my purpose is clear, I will break the spirits of my enemies!" the general said as the mobile armour portion of his suit ignited its beam pincers.

Silver Mask drew his beam trident and span it around.

"How much damage do you think you can do with one arm?" the general asked.

"Enough to kill you," Silver Mask growled.

The General broke off into an insane cackle, rolling his head back.

"How optimistic, even if you kill me your mission has failed," Spirbreak said as he motioned to the mountain.

The Earth Alliance pilots widened their eyes as the Lohengrin emerged from the mountain.

"What's going on, why are we exposing ourselves?" the Alliance officer asked.

"Sir, we've lost complete control of the system," an operator said.

"What, how is this possible?"

"The Lohengrin altering its position, it's aiming at the town!"

The Dagger pilots muttered amongst themselves as they watched the Lohengrin turned.

"What, why are we aiming at the town?"

"Sure they've attacked us, but we can't just wipe them!"

"What is the command centre thinking?"

Branden cursed as his blasts were deflected by the Gells's shield. He turned to the Lohengrin and widened his eyes as it aimed at the town.

"SILVER MASK WHAT'S GOING ON!" Branden yelled.

"A cyber psyche, one that's sacrificed his sanity for more power!" Silver Mask growled. "IF YOU FIRE THAT DAMN THING YOU'VE CROSSED THE LINE ASSHOLE, PERMANTELY!"

"I'm simply fulfilling my purpose, completely breaking an enemy's spirit! NOW WATCH THEM ALL DIE!" the general yelled.

"REGAIN CONTROL!" the alliance officer screamed.

"ITS TOO LATE!"

The Lohengrin fired, with the shocked ZAFT, Sensou and Earth forces watching.

Next Chapter 28: Justice and Revenge

* * *

A GLORIUS TRAILER Trailer, the next chapter in Gekido's story, what happened to him after Jachin Due?

That question and others will be answered in a story that'll set the tone for the next Gundam story!

The Events of Seed supposedly began with George Glenn's mission to Jupiter. There he discovered Evidence-01.

In actuality George not only discovered E01, but something else that would change the Cosmic Era forever. The coordinator, his blonde hair aging with grey streaks walked through the tunnels. He shined his light across the wall, stopping as he saw a magnificent sight. His eyes widened in amazement as he analysed every bit of the stone. Imbedded in the wall, was the fossilised image of a whale like creature. George shined his light to the creatures back and saw the outline of a pair of wings.

"Incredible," he whispered.

Walking past the whale stone, George continued his search to see if there was anything else left to discover. He walked several inches from the whale stone and found a network of rocks and boulders. Climbing over the boulders, George removed his radio and spelunking gear, keeping a hold of a small rock hammer. Suddenly, George slipped and rolled down a steep slope. He immediately bought his hands to his helmet, hoping to cushion his faceplate. But the glass smashed against a rock, creating a hole. George's cheek scratched against the surface of the rock and he immediately crawled back, gasping for air. But much to his surprise, air was what he found. He removed his helmet and breathed.

"This is impossible," George said.

He dropped the helmet and spread his arms out, taking deep breaths. The searing pain of his fresh cut confirmed that he wasn't dreaming. George looked at his surroundings, a cavern of some kind packed with rocks. But a small border had formed around the cavern, a green border. Kneeling in front of the border, George touched the surface of the plants and his database mind found no match to any on Earth. Against his better judgement he sniffed the plants and sighed at the heavenly smell.

"Life, life on another dead planet, my god this is truly incredible," overcome with emotion, George let out a heartfelt laugh.

He noted that the plants must have produced a breathable atmosphere, yet had evolved to develop in the harsh and dry conditions. George formed the idea that despite how seemingly empty the planet was life even the smallest and seemingly insignificant of creatures could find a way to survive. This plant and the whale stone were living proof that creatures lived on this planet. Walking into the centre of the cavern, George curiously looked at the ground. His sharp eyes caught sight of a small cylinder object buried under the rock. Moving the rocks aside, George picked up the object, regarding it with innocent curiosity. He wiped the dust away, his eyes widening as lines across the object began to glow. The object suddenly floated away from George's grip and unleashed a brilliant light.

"What the…"

George's words were cut off as he was left speechless by what he saw next.

Gekido's eyes opened as he awakened from his sleep. He was inside the Purpose cockpit; just after he had left the only home he had ever known. Earth was but a far off memory, and the young man was now on his way to meet with a fleet of exploring ships, ships that would discover the secrets long lost in this world, including the secret of his origin.

_Another Century Episode 2 Opening GLORIOUS_

"Earth will forget its fighting for now, the battles in space are just beginning…Sensou can only extend its gaze so far," A masked man said to several cloaked figures.

**Deep Space Exploration Vessel "Trailblazer!"**

**Mobile suits: Astrays, G-Bouncer**

"_We're on a mission to discover lost secrets, who knows perhaps the secrets we seek are the same as yours…Gekido Jaeger!"_ **Captain Rick Dallas**

Gekido ignited the Purpose's twin sabres as he clashed with several Dorados. He flew above the mobile suits, the Purpose's eye giving off a blue glow.

"Cyber Psyche's, we are the results of the ultimate fusion between organic genetics and machine nano-technology, but where has such technology, technology that has advanced humanity come from?"

Hundreds of Kratos's eyes began to glow as a masked man ordered them to launch. Gekido let out a yell as the Purpose fought alongside Strike Daggers, Astrays and Geno-Aces. Three stars blinked in space and three more mobile suits entered the battle.

"_GUNDAM FIGHT! READY! GO!" _**Domon Kashu, Burning Gundam**

The Burning Gundam activated its brawler mode, punching several GINN's and Kratos's. Its hand moved at impossible speeds, causing the Purpose to fist its hands in jealousy.

"_Dad…Gekido's right about you!" _A**semu Asano, Gundam Age-2**

The Gundam Age-2 changed to mobile suit mode and brandished its beam rifle. It quickly threw the rifle aside as its Double Bullet components appeared.

"_Target locked! Eliminating enemy fleet!" _**Heero Yuy, Wing Zero**

The Wing Zero (TV Series variant) raised its double Buster rifles. In a magnificent show of power, the Gundam fired two beams and began to spin. The beams cut down any ship or mobile suit in the way.

Leo Mobile suits patrolled the outer hull of a colony, raising their rifles as heat sources approached from above. A red Gundam with wheels on its feet landed on the colony, brandishing a gigantic metallic claw.

"_The people of Mars are regarded as monsters by the Alliance, no one has sought to look out for us, until now!" _**Lynette Bragus, GN-Guwein**

The Guwein moved through the inside of the colony, cutting down Leo mobile suits left and right. Lynette yelled as she bought her claw down on the X Gundam. Jamil let out a scream before jumping back. He drew his sabre and desperately swung it at the Guwein. Suddenly, a fang attached to a wire of some kind pierced through the Gundam's hand. Jamil and Lynette looked to their side, seeing a Black and Gold mobile suit with four wings and numerous bits flying around it.

"_Peace is peace, whether it has been achieved through the blood of hundreds, if I must become a tyrant to bring about the peace my loved ones dream of, then I will GLADLY BECOME THAT TYRANT!" _**Heinrich Cousland, Defender bit controls**

"_He is all part of the plan, not the Schenberg plan but the plan of he who has surpassed even Ribbons!" _**Lone Pain, Defender mobile suit control**

The masked man, his grey hair hanging over his eyes smiled beneath his metallic mask. Forces gathered and fought under his manipulations, the manipulations of a ghost of Uragiri. The Romefellar Foundation, Vegan, The Side Colonies and the explorers from Earth.

"Rise up my brothers, rise up and take what is rightfully yours!"

Gekido lowered his cap over his eyes, turning away from the crowd of people gathering around Lacus.

'They are all better off without me,' he thought.

Leo mobile suits flew to avoid several missiles. They fired their rifles, clashing with Virgo units. A Leo mobile suit flew through the ranks, beheading one of the Virgo's with a sabre.

"_His Excellency has plans for you/His Excellency believes you and your friends are the key to peace!" _**Colonel Une/Lady Une**

Gekido yelled as he clashed with the AGE 1 Gundam. The Age-1 switched to its Titus equipment and swung its Lariat into the Purpose's fist. The corrupt seed appeared in Gekido's eye as the Gundam's armour turned gold.

"_You would not defend them if you knew what they have done!" _**Flit Asuno, Gundam Age-1**

Gekido swung his arm around, looking at Flit's back.

"Your such a damned idiot, what good is achieved by completely annihilating a group, so you hate the Vegan people, you say they should all die, then tell me does that include civilians, women, CHILDREN! Are you so blinded by your hate that you cant see the damned hypocrisy of your words?"

The Purpose launched out of the Diva, leading the G-Bouncer, Gundam Age-2 and Genoaces into battle. Multiple ships fired their weapons and beams flew across space. The F91 Gundam fired its beam bazooka at the Guwein as the X Gundam fired its satellite cannon. Gekido narrowed his eyes at a darkened mobile suit before charging head first into battle. Several Gun-Ez's flew beside the Purpose and joined its attack.

"_SHRIKE TEAM LAUNCHING!" _**The Shrike team, Gun-EZ's, Victory Gundams**

GN-X's shot down waves of Strike Daggers. But just when their victory seemed clear two agile mobile suits flew out of space, their blades cutting apart the squadron of Innovade clones.

"_You're an observer huh? Well so am I, I observe, decide and act!" _**Fon Spark, Gundam Astrae Avalanche**

"_The eradication of war through force, THAT IS CELESTIAL BEING! AND THE GUNDAM WILL DO IT! TOGETHER WITH ME!" _**Setsuna F Seiei, Gundam Exia Avalanche**

The masked man floated into a grey and black version of the Nenshou Kokoro. Its blood red eyes lit up.

"_You think there is a human motivation behind my actions, what makes you think I fight for a mere nation?" _**General Legacy, Dark Nenshou Kokoro**

Gekido looked at his surroundings, gripping the Purpose's controls tightly. Surrounded on all sides of the asteroid field, the Purpose fought an invisible foe. Triskeros missiles flew out of space and the Purpose sliced the missiles in half. A beam sabre appeared before the Purpose, slamming into its shield. Gekido widened his eyes as his opponent revealed his identity.

"Impossible," he whispered.

"_I'll told myself I was staying with you guys because I thought you could lead me to answers. Now I realise we're not just here to find out the truth about the Jupiter mission, we're here to stop that son of a bitch from killing more people. Something tells me that he's just the beginning, or maybe the instigator of a much bigger threat, we might not face it now but it'll come eventually!" _**Gekido Jaeger.**

Gekido squeezed his hand into a fist as the visor of his cyber suit began to crack. He got up off the floor, his shoulders shaking. With a yell his Gundam matched his movement, letting out a digitised roar that echoed around it.

"_RISE GUNDAM PURPOSE!"_

"_I…am…alive!" _**Gundam Purpose**

Gundam Purpose Rise!

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and the trailer

Here's a few more details the preview didnt give you:

It'll either be in a Gundam Seed/UC crossover category or a Gundam UC/Anime Crossover category. It'll include characters from multiple series and multiple mechs. The main plot will revolve around the Trailblazer, the leading ship of an exploration flotilla that gets caught in the middle of a war between the Alliance, the colonies and the factions on Mars. A race is soon started for the secrets discovered by George Glen, with Gekido hoping it'll also lead him to the secrets of his past. The fic will take place over the two year gap between Seed and Destiny and while it is considered a spin off is the continuation of Gekido's story. The Purpose will change internally (as in fully develop a character) while Gekido will go through some physical and mental changes, he'll also have a new romantic interest. The fic will feature new OC's, with character designs and mechs based on anime like Code Geass and Super Robot Wars. You guys (the readers and reviewers) will be able to also add your own OC's in it).

Finally the fic will also have elements of political and family dramas, war crimes, spiritual and science fiction elements.


	29. Justice and Revenge

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

The editing and added explanation of the characters goes to 00virtuezero. Sorry for the wait everyone, I've been trying to get the first two chapters of Gundam Rise Purpose done.

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 28: Justice and Revenge

The crew of the Alliance and ZAFT personnel could hardly believe what they were seeing. Spirbreak laughed as the Lohengrin fired, its white beam heading straight towards the civilian village. Conile gasped in horror, closing her eyes as she prepared for her home to be destroyed. Suddenly, a grey and red blur flew in front of the blast, intercepting it.

"The Purpose Mk 2," Athrun said in shock.

The pilots watched in shock as the AI machine blocked the beam with its shield. Its armour shook as it took on a gold colour.

"The Arc Dream system," Silver Mask said.

The Purpose's armour shined brightly as flaps on its armour opened, releasing a wave of pink energy. General Spirbreak widened his eyes as the Gundam empowered its armour and shield with the energy of the Arc generator. It burned like the sun, melting the rock beneath it. The beam split, sending waves of energy crashing into the nearby rock landscapes. Silver Mask then focused his attention on Spirbreak, twirling his sabre around as the mobile armour backed away. The Gells-Ghe fired its beam rifles at Athrun and Branden, causing them both to fly into the air.

"Those bastards, still I can't fault annihilating your enemy," Branden growled, then clutched his head for a moment.

He felt the urge to rip the Gells-Ghe and its pilot apart, to tear open the hatch and crush the pilots. The Lohengrin beeped, humming as the beam faded. Every Dagger on the base stopped, looking at the Purpose in awe.

"That's, the power that saved us at Jachin Due," one of the veteran pilots said.

"Incredible," another gasped.

The Purpose raised its head, aiming its gaze at the Breaker Gundam. Its eyes glowed bright red as its clinched its fist in what an observer would assume to be anger.

"All pilots fire at the Purpose Mark 2," the alliance officer commanded.

Some of the Dagger's hesitantly raised their rifles at the Gundam as it floated by them. The Gells-Ghe fired its cannons at Athrun and Branden, whom both switched to their beam sabres. They fired their Vulcan's at the suit portion, and then swung their sabres at the frontal legs. The Saviour then fired its hip cannons, hitting the back legs and knocking the Gells-Ghe to the ground.

"Shit, we're done for," one of the pilots panicked.

"RAAAAARGH!" Branden roared as he crashed his assault sword down the middle of the Gells-Ghe's chest.

The mobile suit split apart and blew up in a torrent of fire that enhanced the Muramasa's demonic appearance. Silver Mask flew the Aero backwards, dodging the Breaker's claws. Shinn continued his flight through the narrow corridor, all the while thinking of the consequences of failure. He knew that if he failed, Conile's village would be decimated, civilians would die and his fellow soldiers would be slaughtered. Shinn let out a yell as he fired the core splendor's nose guns, breaking through the wall that blocked his path. The core splendor and the parts of the Impulse flew out of the cave, drawing the attention of the Dagger squadrons.

"They were going around us, everyone shoot down that fighter," the commander ordered.

"But sir, wouldn't a retreat be better at this point?" one of the Dagger pilots asked.

"If we surrender it'll be certain death, there's no way the towns people will forgive us!"

The core splendor slammed into the legs and the main body of the Impulse followed, clamping over the fighter. The Impulse's blue and white Phase shift armour lit up as it landed on the ground. Shinn looked at the Daggers blocking his way and raised his beam rifle.

"Get out of my way," he growled before rushing forward.

The Daggers fired their beam rifles, hitting the Impulse's shield. Shinn grit his teeth together as the volley of beams pushed the Impulse back. Silver Mask dodged the Breaker's claws and fired his Vulcan's at the suit's chest. He quickly flew over the Breaker, firing his Vulcan's at the head.

"Idiot, my armour's much too hard for that," Spirbreak cackled as he swung his suit around.

The Breaker ignited its beam swords, swinging them into the Aero's shield. Silver Mask growled as his suit was thrown back, slamming into the ground. Shinn ran forward, firing shots from his rifle at the Daggers. Sniper GM's began firing their rifles at the Daggers, giving the Impulse a clear path. Shinn threw his shield and rifle aside and drew the Impulse's armour Schneider knives. He stabbed one Dagger in the chest and threw the body aside, breaking off into a run towards the Lohengrin.

"Sir we've regained control," one of the alliance control staff said.

"Good, bring the Lohengrin cannon down and the shield up, General Spirbreak can get himself out of his own mess," the officer said.

"Cowards, your spirits are broken all ready," the masked general scowled at the Lohengrin.

He then aimed his weapons at the Impulse, firing his cannons and a volley of missiles. Athrun fired his hip cannons, intercepting the missiles. The Purpose then flew next to the Impulse, blocking the beams with its shield. It threw the shield aside and drew two beam sabres from its back. The Purpose flew at the Breaker and slammed the sabres into the Breaker's swords. General Spirbreak fired the beam vulcan's located across the sides of the mobile armour, hitting the Purpose's legs, and sending beams colliding into the ZAFT and Sensou forces behind it.

"Come on, come on," Shinn urged himself forward, stabbing a Dagger in the chest.

He saw the cannon sink into the mountain and desperately tore the Dagger away from its legs. Shinn yelled as he threw the top half of the Dagger onto the Lohengrin cannon. He then fired his chest Vulcans, spraying the Dagger with bullets. The shells struck the battery pack and fuel lines of the suit, causing it to spark.

"NO!" Spirbreak yelled as the suit's explosion caused a chain reaction that collapsed the mountain.

Silver Mask tackled Shinn, flying him away from the Lohengrin. The officers and soldiers inside the Lohengrin base screamed as rock and metal began to rain down on them. Consoles exploded and the officer let out a final wale before the Lohengrin too buried him. General Spirbreak shoved the Purpose aside, firing a beam into its head. The beam shattered the Gundam's 'mouth plate', revealing its circuitry.

"Minerva, move the forces in to take the rest of the base," Athrun said across the radio.

The ZAFT and Sensou troops cheered as they began their uninhibited march towards the Alliance base. Guntanks and Zuoot's rolled across the rocks, firing high artillery shells into any Daggers foolish enough to fight back. Jet Windams were shot apart by the Neo Raptors and sniped by the ground GM's. Shinn landed on the floor, looking up at the Breaker as it tenaciously fought with the other Gundams. He looked at the Purpose as it fought the Breaker head on. The Purpose's beam sabres flickered before deactivating.

'Using the Arc system really drained its energy, wait a minute, the original Purpose could use the equipment of the Strike, maybe this Purpose is the same. The Impulse's equipment using virtually the same method of contact as the Strike does, except it can change the equipment in the middle of battle,' Shinn thought, analysing the improvements to the mark 2 in comparison to its predecessor.

"Minerva fire the Deuterion beam at the Purpose," he said.

Meyrin and the other crewmembers raised their eyebrows in shock, whilst Talia narrowed her eyes.

'It saved the towns people, it wasn't told to do anything of the sort, that alone says that it has free will…that's it not just a machine,' Shinn thought as he pushed his thrusters, 'jumping' at the Breaker.

He slid his knives into the mobile armour's left arm, deactivating the heat pincer. General Spirbreak yelled in outrage as he threw the Impulse off. The Purpose switched to its jet mode, catching the Impulse in midair.

"Hey machine, line yourself up with the Minerva, they can recharge your batteries," Shinn said.

Shinn jumped off of the Purpose's back, landing beside Rey and Luna. Rey threw a beam rifle into Shinn's hand, allowing him to assist in mopping up the defiant Daggers. Luna fired her cannon, hitting a cannon type Dagger. Shinn lined up with a group of GM's, firing his beam rifle as they fired volleys of rockets and bullets from their weapons. A mass production 'copy' Gundam drew its beam sabre and stabbed a Dagger in the chest.

"Preparing to fire Deuterion beam," Meyrin said as the crew cycled through the Deuterion beams activated process.

The Purpose switched to mobile suit mode, facing the Minerva. Kojiro slashed two Daggers apart with his katanas and watched as a thin beam shot from the Minerva, hitting the Purpose's V-fin. The coordinator raised an eyebrow with interest as

"I WILL BREAK ALL OF YOU!" Spirbreak yelled.

He used him remaining pincer claw to bash the Murasama into the wall. Then fired his cannons into the Aero Gundam, damaging its left shoulder. Silver Mask's helmet cracked as his Gundam fell into the ground. Minerva widened her eyes slightly as a message appeared on her terminal.

'Launch Sword silhouette,' it read.

"Preparing to launch sword silhouette," Meyrin said hesitantly.

_(Gundam Age OST Vol2 Track 18)_

The Purpose's eyes flashed as the sword pack flew out of the Minerva. It flew over the fighter, pulling off both antiship swords. Silver Mask flew upwards, looking at the Purpose as it threw one of the antiship swords. He grabbed the sword, igniting the beams around the blade. Both the Aero and the Purpose stabbed the Impulse's swords into the Breaker, dragging them across the sides of its mobile armour portion. General Spirbreak slammed his fist into a button, ejecting his suit away from the armour. He growled as the gigantic mobile armour blew up, throwing the Purpose and Aero back.

"Idiots, I'm a cyber psyche and a general of Uragiri's army, even if the soldiers surrender I can still force them to fight on," the General explained.

"Well I fought a Cyber psyche for half of my career!"

General Spirbreak widened his eyes and swung around, coming chest to leg with the Saviour's kick. The Breaker opened its shoulders, sending a flurry of beams at the Saviour. Athrun flew around the beams as if they were moving in slow motion, flying straight towards the Breaker. He lifted up his beam rifle, levelling it with the Breaker's chest.

"And no general worth something would do the things you've done," Athrun glared at the suit before he pulled the trigger.

"BASTARD!" the general screamed as the beam tore through his suit, completely consuming his body.

The emerald beam flew through the Breaker's back and the lifeless suit fell towards the ground, exploding in a cloud of fire and energy.

"And for the record, I'm rusty in comparison to that time," Athrun said.

_(End OST)_

"Wow, the commander's incredible," Luna gasped.

Rey and Shinn sighed as they shook their heads. With the death of their general came the breaking of the Alliance spirits, those forces still remaining quickly surrendered unconditionally to the rebel forces. Conile's fellow rebels moved into the area, working with Sensou and ZAFT infantry to gather up the officers and captured pilots. Complete victory had been achieved by the ZAFT/Sensou alliance. Shinn stood in the middle of a crowd of grateful rebels, all of them patting him on the head or ruffling his hair. Athrun moved through the crowd, walking up to Shinn.

"Well done, you did a good job Shinn," he said.

"You never said it would be so dark in there," Shinn said.

"Well we did tell you to follow the data," Athrun shrugged his shoulders. "But what about your orders for the Minerva to recharge the Purpose?"

"What about them? The thing needed a boost so I gave I requested the Minerva to give it one, and look at what it did, it saved the town and helped you beat that General guy," Shinn explained.

"So you think that it's redeemed itself somehow for what happened to Vincent?" Athrun asked.

"I wouldn't go that far, but it has proven that its more than just another machine," Shinn said.

Athrun looked at the Purpose and nodded his head. The rebels continued to thank Shinn for his part in liberating their town, whilst Athrun walked back to the Saviour. He climbed into the cockpit and took note of the rebels preparing to execute the alliance officers. The unnamed rebel cocked his pistol and levelled it over the officer's head.

"For our people," he snarled.

Suddenly, the rebel's arm was twisted back, generating both a click and a scream. Athrun watched in shock as Silver Mask broke the man's arm. He kicked the man in the chest, sending him into the arms of his comrades.

"You bastard," one of the rebels growled.

He drew a knife and thrust it towards Silver Mask. The blade pierced through Silver Mask's left hand, but the masked man kneed his opponent in the chest. He pulled the blade out of his hand, which now bore a hole that revealed a system of sparking circuits.

'A cybernetic arm,' Athrun thought.

"Why are you interfering, ZAFT gave us the right to do with the prisoners as we would," one of the rebels said.

"The laws of warfare clearly state that surrendering parties can not be executed, especially when the battle is over," Silver Mask explained.

"Chairman Durandal agreed that we would be free, that ZAFT wouldn't interfere!"

"And what of Sensou?" Silver Mask asked, looking over towards Branden and Kojiro.

"I do not have the authority to make a decision on this matter," Kojiro said. He had his usual stoic expression on his face making it hard to tell how he felt about this.

"Kill them, they'd do the same to us," Branden huffed.

"In that case then let us…"

"These are prisoners of war, not war criminals, their commanders are dead and these soldiers will be dealt with in a military court," Silver Mask explained.

He bought a hand to his mask, feeling the cracks beginning to form.

"We have the right to punish those that killed our people, that burnt our homes," Conile said, glaring at the masked man.

Silver Mask suddenly ran through the crowd, picking Conile up by her scarf. The men pointed their guns at Silver Mask. Conile shivered in fear as a piece of the mask fell off, revealing his right eye.

"So tell me, who were these people that killed your people? Did you memorise their faces? Their ranks? What they sounded like? IF you're so sure that they all have to die then why don't you pull the trigger yourself?" Silver Mask asked as he threw Conile to where the gun had been discarded.

Silver Mask picked the gun up and forced it into Conile's hand, aiming it at one of the common soldiers. The soldier quivered in fear, his eyes begging Conile to spare her.

"You think them monsters but your wrong, some of these people may have families, or little daughters like you, do you think they go home with a clear conscience, the truth is every soldier is haunted by the orders we are given. They weren't strong enough to fight their superiors so they have with the fact that they had to gun down civilians to defend themselves, or even worse they had to shoot civilians because they were ordered to," Silver Masked explained as he took the gun from Conile's hand.

"But what about justice?" Conile asked, tears falling down her face.

"There is no justice in war, but there shouldn't be revenge either, and little girls like you shouldn't be forced to hold guns…pat yourself on the back little one, most wouldn't have hesitated to pull the trigger," Silver Mask sighed, covering his exposed eye with his right hand.

"You wont stop us from taking what we deserve," one of the rebels growled.

"Then try to, just remember…I've got bigger guns than you," Silver mask pointed over his shoulder, revealing the Purpose standing over the prisoners.

The Purpose's eyes flashed before it slammed its foot into the ground, scaring the gathered rebels off.

"You bastard, Durandal will hear about this!"

"Then tell him and if he doesn't like it he can try to get rid of me, better men than him have tried!" Silver Mask said as he walked away from the prisoners.

A digitised growl came out of the Purpose's speakers, warning the rebels to not take this any further. Athrun narrowed his eyes at Silver Mask. Even with his mask broken he still kept his identity a secret. Whoever he was, he had obviously just spoken from personal experience.

* * *

Durandal sighed as he read the report of the Lohengrin assault. Silver Mask had apparently contacted Flay after his confrontation with the rebels. She took them into Sensou custody and was now negotiating with the Alliance for a prisoner exchange. It wasn't the result he had hoped for, as it seemed Silver Mask was more difficult to control than he believed.

"Its such a shame, your potential is better served as a warrior, not a leader of men," Durandal regarded the masked man.

"Things not going according to your specifications?" Gekido asked.

"No, the Purpose has cast doubt amongst the crew, they are beginning to see its sentience," Durandal sighed.

"Of course, they aren't as stupid as they look, after all you wanted a crew like the Archangel," Gekido crossed his arms as he looked out of the window of the shuttle.

They were flying to Earth, preparing to personally over see the remainder of the war. Durandal cast his eyes over to another report, one handed to him by Noah Bagal in regards to the attack on the supply despot.

"This was a result I didn't expect at all," Durandal mused.

"Then I suppose your going to have to rethink the destiny of that girl," Gekido shrugged his shoulders as he leant back into his chair.

"Her potential was better suited towards academic and research pursuits, yet for her to achieve something like this…"

"Simply regard her as another pawn then!"

Durandal looked to his left, seeing the ghostly image of his former friend. Rau smiled, chuckling softly at the chairman.

"I'm sure her feelings for Vincent Rach will make her very useful in the future," Rau grinned.

"There something wrong?" Gekido asked.

"No, everything's fine, alls I have to do is adjust my strategy, and alter the position of my pieces," Durandal said.

Gekido huffed and rested his head against his arms.

**Sensou-Normandy class submarine**

Noah whistled at the collection of ground and Aqua GM's gathered inside the submarine. ZAFT had imported a WASP Type GINN and two of the newest ZAFT submariner suits. Inside the women's locker room, Linda and Nia both dressed for the coming battle. Nia zipped up her flight suit and tucked her locket down the collar of her suit. She took Vincent's phone from her locker and looked at the missed call alert, the month old message that Vincent still didn't check. The blonde haired girl couldn't help but think what was on the message that Vincent's father had left him. Was it words of shame and dismay? Had Vincent's father disowned him for what he did at the "True Faith" incident?

When Vincent had told her about this phone when they on board the Minerva, it seemed to humanize Commander Rach even more. She began to see that outside Sensou he had a family and in fact he used to have a normal life like she did back when her family was still alive...Well as normal as normal as it could get for a child of two human rights activists, but still it was normal.

But unlike Nia, Vincent hadn't lost any family that caused him to eventually join the military. It was almost like he purposely threw himself into the destructive flames of conflict/war not for revenge or overzealous patriotism, but to make difference. To save as many lives as he could even if it meant taking others lives. To her it didn't matter what everyone's opinion on Vincent was. Nia strongly believed that Commander Rach was a good man and to her he was a... hero.

"If Captain Gladys catches you with that she'll consider it stealing," Linda said. The brown haired woman raised an eyebrow at the fact Nia was holding a phone that she had noticed Commander Rach carrying round at the Mahamul base.

"I'm not serving under Captain Gladys," Nia said.

"So your serving Sensou, is that why you're wearing their flight suit?"

Nia looked at her flight suit; she'd taken a Sensou model suit from the storage room but fully intended to use her Zaku in the coming battle. She looked back Linda not sure how to answer that to the older woman. She just had to keep it straight and simple.

"I have my reasons," Nia said.

"Love is for children," Linda said coldly. She wasn't fooled by the girl's answer. Linda was teenager once like Nia and she all to well about teenagers and romance. It was nothing but puppy dog love to her. It always ended with bitterness and someone making a life-changing mistake.

"Then I suppose you should say that to Shadi then," Nia retorted.

The younger Gladys kept herself composed at the blonde girls retort. Despite that through she would not admit it especially in front of Nia it did hit a raw nerve.

'Sister, how do you put up with them?' Linda wondered, shaking her head as she walked away.

Nia put the phone in her pocket and walked to her machine. The Normandy class submarine would launch the Aqua GM's as well as two specialised torpedoes. One would carry Noah's team, whilst the other would carry Nia and four customised GMs. Climbing into her Zaku, Nia positioned the suit, gripping the side handle of the torpedo and synching her leg magnets with the launcher. Sheryl stood inside the command bridge, checking the radar systems.

"The base is protected by a network of depth charges, the carrier units will release a jamming wave, however the wave will also disrupt our radar too," Sheryl explained.

"So we'll also be blind, but still, the Russian will have no idea where we're coming from," Ruther grinned. He couldn't wait to test his new Customized Slash Zaku. After his Ginn got damaged at Armory One, Ruther had decided to discard that hunk of junk of a mobile suit. To him it was a dull sword that had became rusted out and used after all the battles it had been through. All lives the bloodthirsty Halion had taken with it great pleasure. Now it was useless to him and his dark desires. So got rid of it and know he had whole new tool to satisfy his desires.

"Do not underestimate Bhishma Alhazard," Sochiro warned his brother. Sochiro's twin was the most reckless member of the Bagal Team. Even more reckless than their commander, but he didn't really care if Ruther lived or died. Despite being blood relatives, Sochiro only saw Ruther as liability and a weapon (like how Sochiro viewed himself as well). He only warned of the danger of Alhazard was because he wanted this mission to go as smoothly as possible. After all order was always important especially among soldiers and their duties. When it came down to all Sochiro was more than ready to kill Ruther if his chaotic blood thirst got in the way of the mission.

"His defence is nearly unbreakable," Shadi said. The 30 year old looked over at the status of his machine. At first glance one would find the sight strange and fascinating at the same time. Like both the Halion Twins his CGUE has been severely damaged at Armour One and while the brothers got rid of their suits, Shadi was not ready to give up his CGUE so easily. However due to the fact CGUE was 3-year-old model and also to the heavy scars it had obtained during battles, it was hard to find the subtle parts to replace its worn out ones. Now after a battle Shadi did see that his CGUE did get repaired of any damages it had sustained, but had decided to keep the physical scars it had on its body for personal reasons.

Still even after the damage that was done to, the lieutenant commander had came up the strange idea of upgrading it with parts from a Slash Zaku Phantom to give both strength and endurance. It was a bizarre looking customized suit that was a CGUE, but at the same time it was something else.

"Then I'll smash through it," Nia said, her voice filled with a new determination.

"Ohhhhhhhh! Feisty! I like her!" Ruther laughed in approval.

Ignoring the older boy's comment, she squeezed the controls and took a deep breath.

'Commander Rach, I swear I'll finish this battle quickly and then return to your side…someone has to look after you!' she thought.

"We are beginning final preparations, pilots ready?" Sheryl asked.

"Noah Bagal here, team 1 is ready," Noah said. The Commander's 'Neo Gargoyle' CGUE was upgraded with components similar to the rare ZGMF-515AS CGUE Assault type, but it had certain differences to it; while the extra would improve its overall defence (even increase its strength by 3 x times the normal of its regular physical strength), the new heavy assault weaponry would greatly improve its overall power. While it was true that Noah could've added beam weaponry instead of bullets, he decided against that so he could save more of his battery energy for his new thrusters that allowed the Neo Gargoyle to fly in the atmosphere.

Nia slid her faceplate down and prepared herself for her toughest battle yet. She wouldn't lose. She couldn't lose.

"Nia Holland, team 2 is a go!"

Next Chapter 29: Gundam vs. Zaku

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time Bhishma Alhazard takes on the Bagal team while Nia faces off against Vincent's ex Christina McKenzie in her Alex Gundam. Also I'll be posting the first two chapters of Gundam Rise Purpose, so keep an eye out for it on my profile page.


	30. Zaku vs Gundam

Disclaimer: I dont own Gundam

I'm back, not just me but Name Under Construction too, credit over editing and additional dialogue goes to her. There's none of the main characters in this, just most of the OC's, in fact they are mainly reader OC's, so this counts as one of the first chapters I've written where none of my own OC's appear with an active role, unless you count Vincent's very small role in the flashback.

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny or Liberty

Chapter 29: Gundam vs. Zaku

Underwater launches were never spectacular, and they weren't supposed to be. The point of the mission was stealth infiltration, which was why the carrier moved slowly. Individual aquatic mobile suits had to follow their target data exactly, which was why many Aqua GM pilots were also outstanding navigators. As lone mobile suits they had to move in the deadliest of environments. Not only did man-made defences threaten them but also the ocean itself could crush them if even the slightest damage to the cockpit area of the suit occurred. Noah didn't envy the Aqua GM pilots one bit.

"Seems good so far, ready to submerge," one of the GM pilots said.

"Bombardment missiles armed, aerial team, prepare to move in," the squad leader said.

Nia took a deep breath as she armed her beam rifle. The Aqua GMs began to emerge from the water, firing the vertical missiles from their shoulders. The missiles slammed into the Alliance base, bombing bunkers and warehouses.

"Alright boys and girls, let's show the naturals that coordinators work hard too!" Noah said.

He activated his thrusters, bursting out of the water, whilst the carrier torpedoes began landing on the beach. Noah drew his beam sword and dived into the Daggers. They fired their beam rifles, only for Noah to cleave straight through them. He then swung around, beheading a Sword Dagger, and then stabbing it in the chest.

"Where is he? Where's the Russian?" Noah wondered.

Nia marched towards the base alongside a squadron of ground GMs. They fired their beam rifles and machine guns, clashing with the Dagger forces. She drew out her Gatling guns, firing barrages of beams at the Earth Alliance forces. Tanks and artillery trucks rolled up, firing projectiles at the Halion brothers's Zakus.

"Little insects, YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME WITH THAT!" Ruther yelled.

He drew out his beam tomahawk, crashing the massive axe on the trucks. Ruther then dragged the axe across the floor and cut apart two Daggers. Sochiro fired his beam rifle, sniping the Daggers as they walked out of their carriers.

"This is strange, they seem to have more units than we originally thought," Linda said.

"Its almost as if they were…expecting us," Shadi gasped and turned to the sky.

"AERIEL UNIT ABANDON BOMBARDMENT MISSION!"

Nia and the Bagal team widened their eyes as a giant explosion parted the clouds. Explosives began going off within their landing zone, taking out the torpedo carriers and even knocking down several suits. Linda cursed as her own suit was thrown to the ground. She looked up in the sky, widening her eyes slightly as a black mobile suit descended from the sky. The Strike Noir drew its antiship swords and swooped down on Linda. Suddenly, Shadi stepped in the way, blocking the sword with his shoulder shield. The CGUE/Zaku hybrid pushed the Strike Noir back and grabbed Linda's suit. Jumping into the air, Shadi dodged a hail of missiles.

"Damn coordinators are faster than I thought," Shams Cousa growled.

Sven Cal Bayan narrowed his eyes at the CGUE as it landed beside a squad of ground MS Gundams. The Gundams began firing their machine guns, only for the Strike Noir to take to the air again. It cleared the way for a much bigger mobile suit.

"THE GIANT DUEL!" one of the Gundam pilots yelled.

Bhishma Alhazard's mobile suit matched his natural giant frame, being bigger than the duel and much bulkier. Its positron shield reflected the beam weapons of the Gundams, giving Bhishma the chance to raise his suit's arms. As soon as he dropped the shield, he activated his sabres and stabbed two Gundams in the chest. The 'Gepanzert Riese's eyes glowed as it loaded its armour busters, firing the high velocity bunker busters point blank into the enemy mobile suits. Bhishma swung his arm around, throwing the CGUE and Zaku back like a bear swatting a man.

"Nice try, your attempt to flank our base through our blind spot, my earlier defences wouldn't have been enough to stop your attack, but sometimes the best way to defend is to let the enemy break through, then trap and eliminate them," Bhishma explained.

"BHISHMA ALHAZARD!"

The Giant Duel turned, just in time to block a slash from Noah's Zaku. Both machines flew back, the Zaku swinging its sword and pointing it at the Giant Duel. Bhishma stepped to the side, standing between both Shadi and Noah.

"Lets see if his defence truly is unbreakable," Noah grinned.

"Roger that sir," Shadi nodded his head as he drew his assault sword.

Linda moved behind Shadi, sliding open the missile launcher on her back. She jumped into the air and fired their missiles, hitting the Giant Duel's armour. Bhishma took the projectiles and raised his arms, blocking Noah and Shadi's swords. Noah and Shadi widened their eyes as the Giant Duel broke their swords and threw both suits aside. Their suits slid across the ground, drawing their rifles.

"This guy, he really is as powerful as they say," Shadi said.

"No defence is unbreakable, we're just going to have to step it up, Sochiro, Ruther, back me up," Noah said.

"Roger!"

"Oh this is gonna be good!"

Bhishma narrowed his eyes as the two Halion brothers began hovering around him. Ruther broke off into a run, brandishing his beam axe. Sochiro fired a shot that bounced off of the Duel's positron shield. Ruther swung his axe around, slamming it straight into the shield. Electricity and energy surged off of the Giant Duel as its armour alone blocked the gigantic axe. Ruther widened his eyes as the axe broke apart. Bhishma deactivated his positron shield and prepared to hit the brothers back with a missile volley.

"AN OPENING!" Noah yelled.

He dived at the Duel, swinging his heat axe down on its shoulder. Noah and Bhishma seemed to look one another in the eyes, like their clashing machines. Bhishma threw his hand up, delivering a swift uppercut to the Zaku's head, throwing the machine away from him. He brandished the giant bunker buster on his arm, looking towards Noah's machine.

"I cannot lose, I cannot allow myself to lose," he growled.

Noah looked at the Duel's shoulder in shock, his axe had only done a miniscule amount of damage, the simple scratch was enough evidence to confirm that the Gepanzert Riese was a both a walking bunker and fortress buster.

"It's more than the suit, you've got a reason to fight haven't you?" Noah asked.

"That's not your business," Bhishma said before flying at the Zaku again.

The Strike Noir sliced two Gundams in half before moving onto a lone GM.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE GUYS!" the pilot yelled.

Sven raised his sword over his head, ready to tear it through the rookie. Suddenly, a beam flew out of the clouds. He threw the Strike Noir to the side, dodging the blast in time. The Special Forces pilot looked up at the sky as a Neo Raptor flew onto the battlefield.

"Don't tell me you guys are having trouble with a simple supply base," Zack said as he landed in front of the Strike Noir.

"Zack Tempest," Sven said.

"My reputation precedes me I see, all right, time to earn my keep," Zack grinned.

The Neo Raptor ignited the bayonet blades on its submachine guns and flew at the Noir. Both machines slammed their blades together and took to the skies. Sven fired the cannons on his wings, whilst Zack fired a flurry of beams from his machine guns. Joe and Nia respectively hovered and walked around the base, shooting down any Daggers in their path. Nia rolled her Gatling guns, cutting two Strike Daggers apart. Joe cocked his shotgun before shooting two Long Daggers.

"Other than the Russian, there's not much this base has going for it." Joe grinned.

He widened his eyes slightly as the signal to another combatant appeared on his radar. The Kampfer turned its head, watching one of the warehouses open. A white and blue Gundam type suit walked out of the warehouse, carrying a shield and beam rifle. Inside the machine, Christina Mckenzie ran through the Alex's full activation sequence. The Phase shift capabilities of the Alex's armoured coat turned on and the targeting retinas appeared on her screen. A small pressure ran through Zack's head, but it was only small, it didn't distract him from his battle with Sven.

"All right Chris be careful, this isn't a simulation anymore." Jeremiah said over the radio.

"Understood, I know how to fight anyway sir." Christina said.

The Alex raised its rifle and fired a blast. Joe hovered to the left and cocked his shotgun again. He fired a slug, hitting the Alex's armour. It caused the machine to shake a bit, but Christina quickly recovered and rushed towards the Kampfer. She slammed her shield into the machine's head, knocking Joe back slightly. He quickly threw his shotgun aside and drew one of his Panzer Faust launchers.

"Lets see your armour survive this," Joe said before he launched the miniature warhead.

The missile slammed into the Alex, causing the cockpit to shake. Christina checked over the damage of her armour, though the main hull was safe, the Alex's armour coat was finished. She disconnected the broken armour, revealing the Alex's blue chest and its hidden wrist weapons. Joe widened his eyes as the Alex opened its wrist, firing a flurry of bullets from its gatling gun. The Kampfer moved to the right just in time, but the wave of bullets crippled its left arm.

"This one's surprisingly good. I don't have the manoeuvrability to take him on in a real fight; should have chosen the Efreet." Joe growled.

"DIE, COORDINATOR!"

Joe looked to his left, just as the Verde Buster fired its shoulder cannons.

"LOOK OUT, SIR!"

A ground GM slammed into Joe's back, knocking him to the ground and out of the Buster's range. The beams however tore through the GM's chest, killing the pilot. Nia watched as the GM fell the ground and blew up in a shower of metal. She squeezed the control sticks and grit her teeth together.

"No more... NO MORE OF VINCENT'S COMRADES ARE GOING TO DIE!" she yelled.

Nia looked between the Alex and Buster, deciding on her course of action.

"GM pilots, Joe, join me in my attack!" she said.

She broke off into a run and jumped at the Buster. Shams turned to fire his linked cannon. But much to his shock, Nia cleaved through the gun with her axe. She then disconnected her pack, giving Joe the perfect target. He drew his second Panzer Faust and fired it straight into Nia's abandoned pack; the resulting explosion threw Shams off balance and destroyed most of his weapons.

"NOW!" the Gundam commander yelled.

He and the other GM's drew their beam sabres, slamming into the Buster. Multiple beams pierced through the Buster's cockpit like a pincushion. Sven looked to the Buster in shock as it and his friend blew up.

"It isn't over yet. Here I come, Gundam!" Nia said.

She ran towards the Alex, using her shield to block its beam rifle blasts. With a great yell Nia leapt at her target, slashing its beam rifle in half. She then grabbed the Alex by the head and activated her thrusters. Christina screamed as she and Nia slammed into the nearby forest. The two machines grappled with one another, rolling through several trees. At the same time, Nia dropped several grenades, covering the field in smoke. She broke off from the Alex, keeping the beam blade of her axe deactivated.

"Try and find me Gundam, I'll show you that it doesn't take a Gundam to beat the shit out of another." Nia whispered, more to boost her own morale.

Christina got up off the floor, raising her gatling gun. She scanned the area for any signs of her target. Listening for the Alex's footsteps, Nia calculated its position in comparison to her. The Alex was close, but Christina was too focused on her own beating heart to notice that she had walked straight past the Zaku. Nia swung her axe at the Alex, cutting its backpack. Christina quickly turned, firing her gatling gun. The bullets struck the Zaku's shoulder, knocking off its shield. Nia immediately pulled out a grenade, punching the Alex with it. The grenade exploded, throwing both Nia and Christina away from one another. Their machines slammed into the ground and both pilots struck their heads on the back of their seats.

**Two years ago**

"Top grades in engineering, average in physical education, top grades in architecture, top grades in English Literature, top grades in biochemistry, below average grades in outdoor pursuits, top grades in aerospace research, below average grades in music…"

"To be fair, that's classical music. You never gave me an electric guitar!"

"Please don't interrupt Miss Holland; below average history grades, top grades in business and citizenship studies…"

'Blah, blah, fucking blah,' Nia thought as her academy interviewer droned on.

"I hope you understand what I'm getting at Miss Holland," he said.

"I understand completely sir, I just don't care, I want to join ZAFT," Nia said.

"I'm not saying you can't join ZAFT, I'm just saying that your school grades and aptitude scores show that you are best suited for intellectual and research pursuits." the man explained.

"That's not what I want to do, sir. I want to be a combat pilot, somebody fighting at the front line," she responded stubbornly.

"Miss Holland, please consider your future. In the event that there is another war, we will need pilots that are truly qualified for their role. Enthusiasm will only get you so far - the scores from your piloting tests were consistently average. Though you understand the engineering and mechanical side of the machines very well, that only reiterates my point: you are far better suited for developing them."

Nia fought back the urge roll her eyes in frustration. "You are not hearing me, sir._ I want to be on the front line_. I want to see, feel, actually _experience_ the difference I'm making, not read about it in a report."

At the same time, the interviewer was fighting back the urge to sigh. He only had one problem with ZAFT's recruitment policies and this was it: the teenagers. The minimum age requirement being what it was, most of the recruits were still in their teens and the whole lot of them thought they were made of steel and impervious to death. 'The only difference I can make is on the battlefield' mentality was all too common, and it pained him to think of how many youths he had been unable to halt in their blind march towards an early grave. Denying their admission would do nothing; ZAFT had thousands of other recruiters they could turn to that were happy to accept anyone without a second glance. Persuasion was his only viable course of action, but it was becoming plain to see that Nia Holland would not accept 'no' for an answer. The arrogance of youth and genius combined apparently, with more than a dash of plain foolhardiness.

But he would try one last time. "Consider this Miss Holland: as a combat pilot you'll be put in constant danger - during wartime, there's a likelihood that you'll end up getting shot down, or constantly overshadowed and pushed to the side by superior pilots. You might even be put on a no action posting where you'll never thrive beyond the rank of a green coat. But if you pursue another course, you could be the head of your own engineering corps within a year, and head of research and development within three! Please - don't waste your potential."

When Nia did not immediately reply, the interviewer dared to hope that his words had done the impossible and changed the stubborn girl's mind.

That wasn't the case. "...A person's life is their own. I want to be a pilot sir. I... I want to fight and protect others with my own strength!"

She had spoken quietly, but the firm resolve in her voice sounded deafening to her own ears. Nia had always been a quiet and reserved child - the destruction of her family had only twisted what was already there. Where she had once been shy, she was now withdrawn – the less she had to with other people, the better. She ignored, she froze out, and she never said what she really felt, much less stand her ground so persistently on something.

But this mattered. She had sworn to fight as a soldier against the very people that took her parents away. And she had promised to be together with her sister again, when they were sent to different relatives, their hearts had broken a second time. Due to the N-Jammers embedded in the Earth, most civilian communication between the Earth and space had been rendered practically impossible. No video calls, no email – only snail mail remained. And then one day the letters just... stopped. That last letter she'd received read that their aunt had died in a car accident, and she was joining ZAFT to help provide for her remaining cousins. After that, nothing... until the end of the war, when she got a letter from ZAFT informing her that her sister was MIA, presumed defected to the Thanos faction, and that she should report her if she ever made contact with her again. Something had happened, something had gone wrong, and Nia was going to find both the answers and her sister.

The interviewer sighed as he stamped Nia's form.

"Congratulations Miss Holland and god help you. Report to your first class at 0600 tomorrow." he said.

"Thank you, sir! I promise, you won't regret this!"

**Several months before**

"Have I done something wrong?" Christina McKenzie asked.

Vincent looked up from his bag, concern written on his face.

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

"The commander said my trial time was a new record, whilst you're at the bottom ranking, is that why you requested a transfer?"

"No, you should never be sorry for being successful, you're a good test pilot Chris," Vincent smiled.

"Then why are you leaving, we have a good thing here. Maybe you're just not good with the jets, those prototype mobile suits coming in might be better," Christina said hopefully.

"It isn't that Chris, it's the war, everyday it gets more hectic, we have numbers but ZAFT has mobile suits and talented soldiers. I know I'm not talented, that I'm not special but I want to help those that are, General Revil said he was looking for scout pilots, I want to be one of those pilots," he explained.

"Do you think you're not making a difference here?" she asked.

"A below average test pilot, I don't think so, I want…more, even if I'm just a sacrificial pawn I want to do more for the Earth," Vincent lowered his head slightly.

Christina smiled as she touched Vincent's cheek.

"You're more than that, even if we're apart I'll always believe in you and I'll always be in your life, but as your friend…I'm sorry but I can't be with someone whose not fully committed," she explained.

"I'm glad to have had you in my life, if not as…well you know, then as a friend," Vincent blushed slightly.

"Good luck Vincent, take care of yourself and don't be reckless," Christina said.

"Right back at you," Vincent huffed as he walked past Christina.

It had been the last time they spoke as colleagues and their last moment as something more than friends.

**Present**

Christina and Nia groaned as they both recovered from their temporary disorientation. Nia slowly pulled her axe out of her fallen shield and ignited the heat blade. She looked at the Alex with determination in her eyes.

"I still have a promise to keep. Both to Lain _and_ to Vincent." she said.

"Alex, protect me, I'll try to get back to you Barney." Christina said as she drew her beam sabre.

Both women raised their heads, the flash of their mobile suit's eyes reflecting the determination in their own. Nia rushed forward, slamming her axe into the Alex's sabre. Christina pushed her back and swung her sabre. But Nia sidestepped the slash and countered with her axe. Christina raised her sword to block and the clashing blades released sparks that set the trees alight. With the trees burning around them, Nia and Christina clashed blades again. Nia swung her axe, cutting the Alex's left arm. Christina then countered with a slash that took off the Zaku's arm. Quickly turning around, Nia blocked Christina's follow up strike.

"Where did Holland go?" Joe asked as the GMs picked him up.

One of the machines pointed to the forest, where the sparks of the clashing blades could bee seen by any that watched. Bhishma looked at his surroundings and saw the burned out remains of his comrades, including Shams's Buster. He tackled Sochiro and took several shots from Linda's rifle. Nia and Christina yelled at one another, their blades grinding together. The Zaku cut the Alex across the chest, just enough to burn Christina's arm. She stepped back, moving her sabre into a stabbing position.

"Nearly out of power... Damn it, I won't die here!" Christina coughed as the smoke of the flames began to seep into the Alex's cut.

'I'm gonna win, I'm going to win, just like Asuka and Zala!' Nia thought as she ran at the Alex.

Christina lunged with her sabre, but much to her shock Nia activated her thrusters and sailed over the Alex. The sabre split the Zaku's left leg, but that didn't stop Nia. Whilst in mid-air she threw her axe and it crashed into the Alex's head.

"JUST LIKE VINCENT! ONE MORE STRIKE!" Nia yelled, smashing her fist into the axe and driving it further down the Alex's chest. "SHIT!" she cursed as the Zaku, too much traction lost, fell to the floor.

The Alex, however, stood, its main camera gone and battery exhausted. Christina continued to cough as more smoke filled the cockpit. She tried to open the hatch, but Nia's axe had jammed the cockpit.

"Damn it, all units, commence full retreat, Cal Bayan, recover the Alex." Bhishma ordered.

"But sir, we can still take back…"

"We're not sacrificing more lives for a DAMN SUPPLY BASE!" the Russian yelled.

"Sir, Djibril will think of this as a failure - you'll be demoted for this." a Dagger pilot said.

'I'm counting on it,' Bhishma thought.

He needed to end up under Roanoke's command, so that he could find her.

"If you're not a hundred percent committed to the fight then go, I ain't interested in an opponent that won't fight back." Noah said snidely.

"Say that when you've managed to break my defence." Bhishma retorted.

Two Jet Daggers grabbed Bhishma by his shoulders, lifting him off the floor.

"Cal Bayan, retrieve the Alex, damn it, anyone close to the Alex get it now!" he ordered.

Sven slammed his sword into Zack's sabre, knocking the Neo Raptor back slightly. The Strike Noir turned and began flying with the other Earth forces.

"Shit, the Raptor can't match my reaction time but it's still a damn good machine." Zack cursed.

Christina continued coughing inside the Alex, choking on the smoke that gushed into the machine. Her vision began to blur as she struggled for breath. She felt her machine being lifted off the ground and jerked around as the GM's flew it back to the airfield, unceremoniously dropping it onto the tarmac. Noah watched the Earth forces retreat before turning to the supply caches that their enemy had been defending. He opened the hatch to his machine and climbed out. The GM pilots had already vacated their machines and a medic was tending to Christina.

"Wow, never thought the pilot would be a hot redhead." Joe whistled.

'Men.' Linda and Nia thought.

Noah walked to Zack's side, the mercenary running his hand across the side of one of the boxes. Suddenly, images of the Omega Gundam flashed before his eyes.

"No... the Earth Alliance wouldn't, not after what it did to their own forces." Zack muttered.

"What was that?" Noah asked.

"Nothing." Zack sighed.

Unbeknownst to the ZAFT forces, someone else was watching them. Far away from the conflict, Dagger Thanos looked through the scope of his rifle.

"So they actually took it," he muttered.

"Sir," Lain said, following the Commander in her jet equipped Zaku Kai.

Marcus and Cairo also hovered behind their commander. They had taken to observing battles between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance forces. Right now the Thanos faction was clear in its intention to fight the Alliance, yet Dagger had chosen to allow ZAFT to claim the supply base and its cargo.

"We are done observing." He stated.

"Sir, shouldn't we wait and see what they do with the cargo?" Lain asked.

"They'll refer it to Durandal's judgement; we're leaving this in his hands. If he decides not to use it then good for us; if he does decide to use it that's even better. Even more will rally in outrage." Dagger explained.

"Why are we fighting Durandal anyway? He seems to be making things better." Lain wondered out loud.

"Are you questioning the commander's orders?" Marcus asked sharply.

"Calm down Marcus, Lain brings up a good point - the people support Durandal. If he wins more people over it might not matter what he does. Even if he strips them of their freedom completely they'll still follow him." Cairo explained.

Dagger nodded his head and continued to observe.

Nia climbed out of her machine and pulled off her helmet, pulling her waist-length hair free of its ponytail. She smiled at the sight of the crippled Alex Gundam.

'I did it, I beat a Gundam! Vincent, is this what you felt like during your first victory?' She wondered.

The girl turned her gaze to the Alex's pilot. She didn't know why, but she was glad Christina was okay. A smirk ran across Dagger's face when he spotted a pilot almost identical to one of his own. He slid the rifle back on his shoulder and motioned for his squad to finally leave. Thanos cut communications with his other soldiers and continued to smile.

"So that is your sister, Lain. I wonder, if she follows Durandal will you fight for your family, or the bonds you have formed with us?" A pair of twins, separated by tragedy, only to end up on differing factions in a war? It was poetic as it was potentially useful. "The night is indeed darkest just before dawn… but dawn will come, one way or another, and I will see your plan fall to ruin, Durandal." He narrowed his eyes in vicious anger.

Hours later, Sensou had taken Christina into custody, including the remains of the Alex. Sheryl watched the girl from the observation area of the interrogation room. Sensou wouldn't use torture on regular soldiers, and Christina had cooperated enough to paint a good picture for herself. She was just a test pilot whom Jeremiah Israfel believed in.

'There's a name I haven't heard in a while.' Sheryl sighed.

"Ma'am," Nia saluted as she walked into the room.

"Well done today Nia, Vincent will definitely be proud." Sheryl smiled warmly at the girl.

Nia's cheeks turned pink. "Is… is Vince-Commander Rach all right?" Sheryl rubbed her head in embarrassment.

"The operation went well, he's adjusted to the mask well… although Durandal recommended that they skip therapy so that the commander can attend this summit." Sheryl explained.

"What?!" Nia blurted out, "But the commander will need time to adjust, won't he? ...And what summit?"

"Oh yeah, you haven't been keeping up have you? Well, you see, Dagger Thanos's recent invasion of the United Kingdom and his declaration that the Earth Alliance is redundant has caused several European and Middle Eastern nations to leave the alliance. England and Scotland have surrendered to Thanos while Ireland has broken off from the Alliance and claimed neutrality. Thanos has called for Sensou and ZAFT to meet him at a location in Diocuia. You were actually mentioned by name, Nia. Dagger Thanos himself specifically requested the attendance of 'Nia Holland and the Minerva pilots'. You seem to have caught his interest." Sheryl explained, smiling in amusement at Nia's confused expression.

"Why would ZAFT's former special forces leader want to see me?" she asked.

"No idea. Weird thing is, they asked to meet us at the very city we've just liberated from the Alliance, yet there's no sign of support there for the Thanos faction and there's no telling how Durandal will respond to the plan." Sheryl put a hand to her chin, considering the logic of the military leader.

Nia didn't respond immediately, and a contemplative silence filled the room. Finally, she asked, "Is there anything else you wanted ma'am?"

"Oh, yes. I thought you should know, that pilot in there? She used to be close to Vincent. Her name is Christina McKenzie." Sheryl said.

Nia froze in shock, her body tensing up. She struggled with the sudden rage she felt, completely unsure as to why she suddenly disliked Christina. The girl didn't seem that bad, she wasn't cocky as was typical of captured aces, but she didn't seem frightened either.

"Does she know about what happened to the commander?"

"No, I couldn't bring myself to tell her, really. Unless you want to break it to her?"

The girl fell silent again. "...I don't like kicking people when they're down. Besides, something tells me that… that she has her own memories of the commander, and that she doesn't want anything to spoil that." Nia struggled with her words, causing Sheryl to look at her.

"I understand. Better to remember him how he was; better to remember the good times." She said quietly.

Sheryl remembered Wes as her baby boy, not the Earth Alliance soldier destined to die at Noah's hands. Nia touched her locket, remembering the promise she and her sister made and not the sorrow they both felt after losing their family.

Hundreds of miles away, whether by coincidence or fate, Lain reached to touch her own locket. But her happiness of that memory quickly turned to sorrow and she stopped slicing the garlic for her soup.

'Nia... did you make it? Are you all right?' The short-haired girl wondered.

She looked out of her tent, seeing Marcus looking up at the stars. Cairo was snoring, his massive sleeping bag made him look like a butterfly cocoon. Lain walked out of the tent and sat next to the blonde pilot, looking at him with innocent curiosity.

"Marcus, can I ask you something personal?" she asked.

"If you're wondering why Michelle and I didn't work out don't bother even asking." He responded, his expression stoic but intention clear.

"No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if... if you ever think about your sister?" Lain lowered her head, waiting for him to yell at her.

"Sometimes… sometimes I wonder whether she's still alive." he said.

Lain looked up at the pilot and saw the slightest shine in his eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder if I find her, whether she'll be the girl I remember, or whether some new persona has taken her place. To be honest I think that dead or alive, she's no longer my problem." Marcus said bluntly.

"But you're her big brother!" Lain gasped.

"Tell me: if you found your sister and she was completely different from how you remembered her, would you still believe that she was your sister, that the bond you shared was intact? Not all long lost families reconnect the way people hope. Sometimes they're just numb - 'they may be my blood but they are simply strangers'. If my sister is indeed alive and happy then I wish her the best, but I will play no part in her life." he explained.

"And if she's dead?" Lain pushed.

Marcus got off the floor and walked over to his sleeping bag. Dagger touched Lain's shoulder, shocking her slightly.

"Don't take it the wrong way. As an adult, Marcus has gotten used to the idea that dead or alive, he just doesn't have a special place in his sister's memories. Also, to answer your question, if Stella was killed then Marcus would probably kill himself to avenge her." the red haired man explained.

Lain hugged her knees as Thanos walked back into his tent. He wouldn't sleep for the night; he'd be going over the plans for his new weapon. Lain however was awake for very different reasons.

'Sister, I'll always love you no matter what, but would we have to fight one another?' the thought kept her up all night.

* * *

Bhishma stood in front of a screen that showed the chief staff members of the alliance. Jeremiah looked at him in sympathy, highly aware that Bhishma had formed close-knit bonds with those under his command. Djibril however had a much different look on his face.

"This was an embarrassment Alhazard," he growled.

"Yes sir," Bhishma said.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Nothing sir, the base and its cargo was mine to protect, I had failed and gotten most of my team killed or captured," the Russian explained.

"We do not take failure lightly Alhazard, your giant duel is a valuable machine, don't think we wont replace you," Djibril growled.

"Vincent Rach was the only pilot who would have been able to mimic Alhazard's fighting style, he's no longer under Earth Alliance command so we don't have a viable replacement," Jeremiah explained.

"Also consider the fact that Bhishma is popular with the soldiers, if he disappears people will ask questions," Haiwa said.

"I am willing to take whatever punishment you deem fit sirs, I am an Earth Alliance pilot first," Bhishma said.

Djibril stroked his cat gently as Jeremiah tilted his head at Bhishma. Unlike Djibril, Jeremiah had analysed Bhishma's combat record extensively, the man never failed in defensive missions. Even if all his forces had been destroyed he would have fought on as the final layer of defence. Heiwa too knew of Bhishma's expert defence, particularly during Jachin Due, the mission itself was the defence of Earth and Bhishma proved vital to that defence. Finally Djibril looked at Bhishma, glaring in a fashion he wouldn't of if face to face with the giant.

"Report to Captain Roanoke, you are under his command now," he growled.

Bhishma saluted the man he had zero respect for, the man whose head he would have crushed like a melon if given the opportunity. The communication feed cut and Bhishma frowned at where Djibirl had once been displayed.

"Arrogant bastard, I'm sorry Shams, Sensou will treat you well Christina. I trust you'll do the right thing with that cargo Vincent…the Omega Mark 2 is something that must never be built!" he said as he walked out of his office.

He lowered his head slightly as he walked past his comrades, most of whom looked at him with hate in their eyes.

'I have to find you sister, if those bastard scientists truly did change you then I'll save you, and if they killed you in that lab…then Logos, the Atlantic Federation and Blue Cosmos will all be torn apart by my vengeance, an unbreakable suit and an iron will make an unstoppable rampage. You've given me everything I need Djibril, both to find the truth and get my revenge!'

Next Chapter 30: Hidden Truth

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time we move onto the episode of Destiny, Hidden Truth, Durandal reveals the truth of Logos and another party crashes Meer's concert :) plus Vincent returns a changed man.


	31. Hidden truth

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam

Sorry guys about another long wait for this chapter, Hopefully we'll get back on track.

Editing for this chapter was handled by 00virtuezero

* * *

Gundam Seed Destiny Or Liberty?

Chapter 30: Hidden Truth

Sheryl and Nia welcomed their return to the Minerva. Nia couldn't stand the Bagal team; especially the creepy Ruther trying to flirt with her and Sheryl just wanted to be away from the man who killed her son. The Minerva and a battleship carrying the Bagal team moved down the Black Sea and began docking with the coastal city of Diocuia, which had recently been liberated by ZAFT due to the Minerva team's actions at the Lohengrin gate. Talia let out a sigh of relief as the ship finished docking. Sheryl typed at her PDA, organizing shore leave for the Sensou crew.

"You know you're pretty good with the command thing, and you're a lot…wiser than Commander Rach," Nia pointed out.

"I'm no soldier, and did you just call me wise to avoid calling me old?" Sheryl smirked as the girl huffed.

"I was trying to come off as respectful but you really are a hag in comparison to Vin…I mean Commander Rach," Nia said.

Despite the intended insult Sheryl laughed and put her computer away. She turned to the girl, another one of her 'den children' in need of advice.

"Do you have an issue with Vincent continuing to lead Sensou?" Sheryl asked.

"Its not that I don't think of him as a good leader it's just…" Nia shuffled her feet nervously, hiding a blush on her cheeks.

"I know, he's far too young," Sheryl sighed.

"Then why don't you take command?" Nia asked.

"Because it takes a certain kind of mind set to lead people both older and younger than yourself into a battle, I'm not sorry to say that it's a mind set I don't have. While true Vincent carries a heavy burden, he also has friends to support him, friends like you Nia," Sheryl smiled as she patted Nia's shoulders.

A heavy blush crept across Nia's face. She immediately stepped away from the older woman, shaking her head.

"Its not like that, its just I said I'd help him so I'll help him, plus the chairman trusts him and if Vincent falls apart then the whole alliance falls apart," Nia explained.

"Riiight," Sheryl grinned.

"I hope I'm not as annoying as you when I'm your age," Nia growled.

Sheryl laughed as she turned and began walking down the corridor. Nia shook her fist, her eyes twitching in anger at the woman. But she still had a thick blush across her cheeks. Shinn, Luna and Meyrin then walked around the corner, the latter two girls smiling as they saw her.

"Hey Nia," Luna said, nearly tackling the blonde girl.

"We heard about your battle, great job Nia," Meyrin patted Nia's shoulder.

"Not bad, but I liberated a whole town," Shinn poked his chest with a cocky grin on his face.

"Well I beat a Gundam with a Zaku," Nia retorted.

"You damaged a Gundam, you never actually destroyed it or killed the pilot," Shinn pointed out.

"Killing a pilot is never something to be proud of!" The four teenagers turned to see Athrun approaching them. "But still, you both did well out there, you should be proud of what you've achieved," he smiled as the two soldier's saluted.

Unbeknownst to the group, Silver Mask stood around the corner, listening to the conversation with his arms crossed.

'It's just the beginning,' he sighed.

The group, minus Silver Mask continued walking to the main hatch. A few other crew members waited alongside Rey, Kojiro and Branden. They continued waiting until Arthur, Talia and Sheryl came to them.

"What's the deal Za Burrel? Why are we delaying?" Branden asked.

"The person waiting in the airlock is the man who personally oversaw the liberation of the city, you may also be interested to know that thanks to the chairman, his condition has improved significantly," Rey hid a ghost like smile as the others gasped.

The airlock opened and Nia barged ahead of Branden and Kojiro. Black boots stepped onto the ship, decorated by the flowing skirt of a long coat. He had opted to wear a full military uniform, a grey version of the white commander's uniform of ZAFT. But instead of white gloves he wore black gloves underneath armoured gauntlets. A simple black mask covered his face with holes revealing his blue eyes. Blonde haired had been stuck to the back of the helmet, but it appeared to be for decoration purposes. The gathered crewmembers gasped at the man's sudden appearance, most too shocked to believe that this man standing before them was Vincent Rach.

"Crew of the Minerva, welcome to Diocuia," he said.

With those simple words the doors behind him opened and the crew heard the intense sound of cheering. Shinn looked at Vincent with an intense gaze though Kojiro (whom was watching both intently) couldn't determine whether it was anger or disgust that motivated the boy's stare. Vincent turned his head and his eyes made contact with Shinn's. Kojiro recognised the emptiness of the man's eyes.

"Please take the time to enjoy the concert, you are all guests of honour," Vincent said.

"Guests of honour? Wait…did you say concert?!" Branden asked, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

The crew walked out of the ship and widened their eyes at what they saw. Crowds of soldiers were gathered around a stage while cheering people watched from a nearby fence. Two new mobile suits, one orange and another blue and white carried a pink Zaku with star symbols painted onto its chest. Standing on the Zaku's hand, dancing energetically to a pop remix of a familiar tune was one 'Lacus Clyne'.

"Oh for the love of Allah, kill me now! Just kill me!" Branden growled, hiding his head as the group walked towards the crowd.

"Focus Branden, did you see Commander Rach?" Kojiro asked.

"Vincent, yeah I did, a ZAFT uniform, he couldn't be breaking up Sensou could he?" Branden looked to Kojiro.

"My loyalty is mainly to Orb, if he does disband then I will be forced to return to the Orb military, just as you would be obligated to return to the Atlantic Federation," he explained.

"No way in hell is that gonna happen…damn it why did it have to be a pop remix, it was fine before!" Branden groaned.

Despite the Middle Eastern pilot's protests, every other soldier enjoyed the new beat, dancing and signing along to the tune. Vino and Youlan eagerly ran to the crowd and started cheering. Arthur bopped along to the song as well, whilst Talia watched Durandal depart one of the ships. She thought of his scheming personality, he was a charmer true, but he always had an agenda. He must have always planned for Lacus to come to the city.

"Did you have any idea she'd be here?" Luna asked Athrun.

"No, not really," Athrun muttered. He couldn't help but stare at the frenzy the other ZAFT soldiers were in. Personally, Athrun always considered himself a professional and felt that others should behave as such. Then again he didn't have the best social skills.

"Well it must be difficult for you to keep up, you're both such busy people," Luna smiled in understanding.

Meyrin shook her head at her sister's antics. She then grinned slightly as several pilots ran towards them.

"Oh, sorry," she 'stumbled' forward, grabbing Athrun's arm for support.

Luna's eyebrow twitched while Branden seemed to shoot electricity out of his eyes, aiming it straight at Athrun.

"We should probably find a place where we won't be in the way," Athrun said.

"Yeah," Meyrin nodded.

Athrun guided Meyrin towards the side, unaware that Branden was glaring at him. Meyrin herself however had a smile inside, she got to tease her sister and find out how Branden felt about her.

"Hey, Commander Rach?" Shinn walked up to Vincent.

"You are pilot Shinn Asuka correct?" Vincent asked.

"Don't you remember him Commander?" Kojiro asked.

"I am afraid many of my memories are fractured, the chairman provided me data relevant to the mission, your combat record is admirable Shinn, practically your actions at the Lohengrin gate, well done!"

Shinn glared at the commander as the man walked away. Nia followed the commander with her eyes, trying to see if he was merely veining ignorance or if he truly couldn't remember Shinn Asuka and the tragedy of Onogoro. Her attention then turned to the stage as the song began to close.

"Thank for your efforts everyone, continue fighting the good fight and thank you people of Diocia, remember to support the brave soldiers of ZAFT in their fight for peace," she happily waved to the crowd.

"FIGHT FOR PEACE!" a voice echoed from the sky.

The people of the city and the soldiers on the beach gasped as a trio of machines flew out of the clouds. They were without weapons, but the sight was never the less intimidating. One was a customized red CGUE whilst another was a completely new pink mobile suit. It landed gracefully behind the red CGUE, bowing as their leader, a suit the Minerva crew and even the common soldiers in the ranks recognized. They gasped as the Black Gundam opened its cockpit and a familiar face emerged. He travelled down the zip wire, wearing the white uniform of a commander.

"Dagger Thanos," one man in the crowd whispered.

"The black storm, the revenge of Junius Seven," another gasped.

Dagger nodded to Vincent, whom saluted the man. Nia raised her hand into a salute, followed quickly by Shinn, Luna and Meyrin. Meer looked at the gathering in shock. Alistair, sitting inside the Red CGUE smirked as he zoomed in on Athrun's face. His 'other' had his eyes narrowed at Thanos.

"It's almost like looking in a mirror, yet isn't," Alistair muttered.

"Please don't tell me you're going to quote face off all day," Lain said over the radio.

"Yeah I'm gonna grab Athrun's neck and mutter 'die!' repeatedly," Alistair huffed.

Lain chuckled at the reference, sitting inside her new machine the Gerbera Tetra. She exited her machine, running to Dagger's side as she removed her helmet. Nia widened her eyes, alongside her fellow teammates.

"Lain," Nia gasped.

"Hey sis," the identical girl waved to her sister.

"Can't see myself saying hey bro," Alistair muttered bitterly, staying inside his machine. His eyes kept close watch on his look alike.

Durandal walked away, flanked closely by Rey and his bodyguards. Vincent and Sheryl both also walked to Durandal's side, looking Dagger Thanos in the eyes.

"Dagger Thanos, why have you come?" Vincent asked.

"I have come to make my intentions clear to both Sensou and ZAFT and to recruit more whom wish to follow me in my path," Dagger narrowed his eyes, pausing as he closed his eyes.

The dramatic pause only served to increase the man's resolve as he declared his ambition:

"I Dagger Thanos…armed with my Black Gundam and the firm faith of my allies, will sever the chains of the irrelevant and corrupt Earth Alliance and establish new bonds between all nations in the creation of a new Earth sphere government that will encompass every nation of Earth!"

Durandal remained stoic, whilst others widened their eyes.

"You said you wouldn't interfere with other nations," Sheryl said.

"In times of peace and economic stability a country is capable of running itself, but in times of war, violence and corruption people turn to leaders and symbols. If a country is attacked by or attacks another nation then I will eradicate the violence and corruption of that country and leave it to the good people of the nation to rebuild and create new governments, that is why I have gathered military might into a single force," Thanos explained.

"I see your point," Vincent said. "Military power should be built with the intention of never being used, yet being used once when only necessary. But even if you were to eradicate the evil of this generation a new generation of Muruta Azraels might arise and with your intervention many will die," he explained.

"It has to stop, the Black Storm alone will be the military might of this world, once the nations have turned over to a pacifistic style of government and have accepted the protection of a single organization then we may finally know peace. War will no longer create men like Azrael or even men like me, the kind that sends children into battle, the kind that haven't buried their own sons!"

Sheryl widened her eyes slightly at that statement, remembering the day that she buried an empty coffin. Branden too thought of Sakon and how they hadn't even found a body, a single cross on the beach and rusting mobile suit were Sakon's only memorials.

"That is why you have urged nations to leave the Earth Alliance and have attacked any that have chosen not to," Durandal said.

"Yes, and Earth will merely be the start, I wish for any in ZAFT and the Plants whom wish to follow my plan to join me. We of the Black Storm will reside on our own nation as the peacekeepers of this new UN," Dagger said.

"I see you have developed some ambition in your self imposed exile, is that why you gained favour on Mars and Jupiter?" Durandal asked.

"Yes, but that is a tale for another time," Dagger said casually.

"Indeed, there is much for us all to discuss, I assume you predicted I would invite you to the mansion," Durandal smiled.

"Yes and I safely assume your men are sensible enough to block off access to the machines behind me so to as avoid tripping their self destruct mechanisms," Dagger smirked.

"You're indeed a master of chess Dagger, we should play some time," Durandal.

"What makes you think we aren't playing now?" Dagger chuckled.

Shinn looked between the two men, unsure about whether they were being friendly with one another, or actually threatening each other. Dagger chuckled yet didn't smile, sure he would have a triumphant smirk across his face at times but his face remained like steel, unwavering with determination. Luna, Shinn, Nia and many others of their generation admired Dagger Thanos. Soldiers were naturally drawn to him not just because of his skill but his belief in a code of honour and conduct that all soldiers should adhere to. The three machines of the Thanos faction remained on the docks, with Alistair staying inside his suit. Silver Mask watched Durandal's limo drive away, his glowing eye narrowed in suspicion.

* * *

Unbeknownst to both the Thanos faction and ZAFT, a small group of Earth alliance soldiers still remained on the island. They however were considered equipment, not soldiers. The Extendeds all looked at the scene that had taken place at the port and when the confrontation was over they drove away, ignoring it as if it had never happened. Stella looked out of the window of the jeep with an empty expression in her eyes, whilst Auel leant back into his chair. Jone however sat next to Auel contemplating what he had seen.

"Say guys, do you think we could do better than this?" he asked the younger Extended.

"We have been given orders, it is our duty to carry those orders out," Lyna said.

"She's right, it doesn't matter who wins this war, if we continue to follow orders we'll survive," Sting explained.

"And once the war is over then what, you guys aren't 'perfect' as Stark and Lucifer are. We might all one-day 'cease to function'" Jone took great care not to say Stella's trigger word.

"What the hell has brought this on?" Auel asked.

"I think it would be better to live in peace and not to suffer," Jone whispered.

"We've got a good thing in the army you know, they feed us, gives us plenty of enemies to kill and some down time as well," Auel explained.

"For all we know there might be hundreds of replacements waiting in storage," Jone muttered.

He sighed as the children ignored his comments. Lyna's eyes however widened slightly, showing that some part of her understood what Jone was getting at.

* * *

Halfway across town Lucifer sat in a coffee shop, drinking a cup of tea. In front of him was Heiwa Jaeger, whom kept his face concealed with a hat and sunglasses. Lucifer sipped the tea and then put the cup down.

"I've managed to secure what you asked for," Lucifer said.

"That's good, Stark got me some data the other day, he's doing this for the money but why are you doing this exactly?" Heiwa asked.

"My capabilities are beyond special forces, beyond simply being a pilot for the Atlantic Federation, beyond even Logos and Uragiri," Lucifer explained. "Those fools are beneath my ambitions and power, Uragiri was nothing but a deluded harlot and Logos are simple minded fools who inherited their power due to aristocracy."

"In that regard you and I are similar, we understand that evolution can only take us so far," Heiwa smiled.

"But while you seek expansion, I will seek domination," Lucifer said.

There was a slight pause before Lucifer looked into Heiwa's eyes. The Ulimate coolly stared in the grey haired man's blue eyes.

"If you tell Djibril or try to get in my way I will kill you," he said.

Heiwa slowly chuckled before rising from his seat.

"Don't worry about a thing Lucifer, your actions will only make things better for me, heaven or hell, I don't mind not being the one in charge," he smiled. "So long as things change then it doesn't really matter who's in charge!"

Lucifer huffed, annoyed by Heiwa's presence and mystery.

* * *

The limos arrived at the mansion Durandal was staying at. The very same orange machine that had carried the pink Zaku was now stood beside the mansion, its pilot exiting to welcome the new arrivals.

"Heine Westenfluss, I see you've come far since service under Hawkins," Dagger said.

"Thank you Admiral, a table has been prepared on the roof, right this way," Heine spoke courteously, but he wasn't a stuck up upper class man, he'd been in his share of fire fights.

"Lain, how are you here?" Nia asked, poking her sister's shoulder.

"I flew here of course, on my new machine," Lain grinned.

"Smart ass, I'm not talking about that, how did you come to be under Thanos's command?"

"She sought me out Miss Holland, she rather foolishly took a GINN and nearly ran out of air," Dagger said.

Lain lowered her head, whilst the others behind her looked at her with sweat drops running down the back of their heads.

'I really wish he didn't bring that up,' she mentally groaned.

"Where have you been all this time? Are the rumors about Mars true?" Branden asked.

"I did provide security for both factions of the mars civil conflict, many of my men had been part of the PMC forces of those conflicts, they were without purpose or guidance so I gave them a cause to fight for," Dagger explained.

"Is that what happened with you Lain, did he give you a purpose?" Nia asked.

Lain remained silent and continued walking with her commander. The group finally reached the roof of the mansion. A dining table big enough for the people present had been set up. Only Heine and Vincent were left without chairs to sit on, the latter stood behind Durandal.

"How is the situation in space chairman?" Talia asked.

"Admiral Thanos's forces currently hold the best position for attacking both Sensou's Asgard station and the Plants. The Earth Alliance will occasionally launch an attack, but either Sensou or Thanos intercept their forces," Durandal explained.

"Your shield is of course no longer near the Plants, we felt we'd have to pick up the slack," Dagger said.

"Do you mean Gekido Jaeger?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, he's come to Earth and has already begun preparations to continue our campaign, though he is a little too violent in his approach. If at all possible I would like to end this with little blood shed," Durandal sighed.

"But it isn't possible is it Durandal, because we are at war, and war makes people do horrible things…or at least that's the punch line used in the aftermath; 'we've all wronged one another, we all simply wanted peace' but its never that simple…nothing is ever simple," Dagger explained.

"It's because…" Shinn paused as everyone looked at him.

"Shinn speak your mind," Vincent said.

"Go ahead, I greatly value the opinions of people fighting on the frontlines," Durandal said.

"Well…I think agree that what war makes us do is complicated…but the reasons why war becomes the end result of conflict isn't. In every generation there are stupid, selfish people that push for war, people like Blue Cosmos," Shinn explained.

Dagger Thanos chuckled slightly before he got off his chair.

"Stupid selfish people true they were selfish, but they knew how to make the war benefit them. War if done correctly can benefit society, it can jumpstart the economy, lead to technological developments, jobs and create heroic figures that inspire future generations…that's often why people can get away with going to war," Dagger explained.

"The demand for war generates profits and the war itself results in mass profits, take this machine for example," Durandal said as he looked to Heine's machine. "The ZGMF-X2000 Gouf Ignited, one of the first models of its kind, in the next few months production models will be given to elite pilots such as yourself Nia Holland. War generated a demand for machines like this, and the companies that produce them profit from the production…whom do you think profits from a full scale war," Durandal turned to his guests and smiled. "Throughout history, organizations such as Logos profited from war, and when the wars stopped, they created the demand, they pushed for more conflict in order to profit. Logos originated from an ideal, and that ideal was the Earth Alliance!"

"Bullshit," Branden growled. "You're saying every conflict since the Earth Alliance, hell every conflict in history is part of some grand old conspiracy, Sensou would have found out about it!"

"Durandal speaks the truth Branden, ever since the Earth Alliance was first formed, Logos has been pushing it behind the scenes, why do you think the presidents seem to be so incompetent, its because Logos are getting them votes and every so often a conflict to prove just how 'deserving' of the presidency they are," Vincent explained.

Vincent turned to Durandal and saluted him.

"Sensou is with you Durandal, we will help in anyway we can to track down the members of Logos and apprehend them," he said.

Dagger narrowed his eyes at Durandal from behind Vincent's back. The exchange went unnoticed by those present, but Durandal merely smiled at Dagger's concealed anger.

"Can it really lead to an end?" Athrun asked. "Two years ago I was asked a question, if one person kills for revenge and is killed for being a killer can it really lead to peace?" he recited Cagalli's words and in a way Gekido's words as well. "From what I've learnt, at some point the soldiers themselves are going to have to stop. We must come to our own judgments over what is necessary to bring peace, if it's at all possible for soldiers to bring peace."

Dagger sighed as he rubbed his head.

"I've done bad things, I failed to protect Junius Seven, resulting in Patrick Zala's madness, I even failed my own children, my adopted son lost to his own desperate search for redemption and another lost to an impossible dream, one that I find myself sharing," he sighed. "If my redemption leads people to calling me a tyrant then I will accept that burden and fight to bring an end to the corruption that stains the Earth Alliance!"

The man's eyes held a determination that shocked Vincent slightly. He gripped his head for a moment, seeing a man he called friend and mentor, a man whom had the same determination as Dagger Thanos.

"Thank you for your hospitality Chairman, Lain and I will soon be out of your way," Dagger said as risen from his seat.

"Sir can I…" Lain shuffled her feet nervously.

"Yes Lain, go ahead," the man smiled as Lain turned to her sister. She gave her twin a hesitant look and squeezed her hands.

"We have to have that talk Nia," she said.

"And everyone else has to get some rest, there are rooms ready for each of you, no sharing, just your own private rooms," Vincent explained.

"Good, Branden snores," Kojiro said.

"I don't snore!" Branden growled.

"No but you do have dreams that make you smile and go 'oh Me…!"

Branden immediately planted his hand over Kojiro's mouth, glaring but blushing profusely. Vincent let out a laugh before putting a hand to his head.

"Are you okay Vincent?" Sheryl asked.

"Yes, I am fine, everyone of you please get some rest," Vincent said

He walked past Shinn and left the roof. Shinn squeezed his hands into fists, gritting his teeth together in frustration. Vincent in his eyes had done the one thing he asked him not to, forget his sister. The masked man walked across the hallway, leaning against the wall as he gripped both sides of his head. Images flashed before his eyes of the inside of a mobile suit.

'Memories,' he remembered shooting and stabbing Astrays at the battle of Orb.

He saw the face of a young grey haired man and remembered the punches of discipline and words of encouragement.

"Gekido," he whispered. "What am I trying to remember?"

Athrun and the others left Durandal's company and whilst Lain walked after Nia, Sheryl followed Dagger Thanos.

"Admiral Thanos, do you really intend to go through with this?" Sheryl asked.

"Yes, if things do not change then people will die, I will add to this until the rational minds are left to repair this world. Too long have we seen people speak up in hatred, it must be made to stop," Dagger explained.

"War creates a cycle Thanos, I agree in the fact that Logos must be stopped, but everything else…what you are suggesting is a dictatorship," Sheryl narrowed her eyes.

"What I am suggesting is more missions like the one the Grand Commander launched against True Faith, the absolute destruction of those whom add to the chaos, the only difference is that I am no politician furthering a goal, I will be in charge of my own nation and will only take charge if the leaders of other nations are unfit for the task…much like Cagalli Yula Athha!"

"Are you going to attack Orb?" Sheryl walked up to Dagger, fixing a glare into his eyes.

"If Cagalli doesn't return to put things right, an occupation may be the only option left. The night is darkest just before the dawn and the blood shed of war is at its worst when it is close to ending, I don't want to see any more parents lose their children anymore than you do," Dagger said.

"You lost your adopted son during the last war didn't you and another child too right?" Sheryl asked.

"Yes, in that aspect we can understand one another," Dagger sighed.

Sheryl watched as Dagger walked away. She leant against the wall and closed her eyes, remembering her son. The admiral continued walking down the steps of the mansion, intending to contact one of his supporters in the city for a lift. He stopped as he saw Silver Mask walking up the steps. The masked man walked past the admiral and for a moment their eyes seemed to meet. A smirk crossed Thanos's face as the masked man continued to walk away, pretending to ignore his presence. But the masked man stopped as he heard Thanos whisper something.

"You, talking to me? What did you say?" Silver Mask asked gruffly.

"I think you heard me Silver Mask," Thanos chuckled as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone. "Yes, I'm in the city, meet me at the café as expected!"

Silver Mask turned away from the man and resumed walking up the stairs.

* * *

Nia followed Lain to one of the few deserted spots of the mansion. It was a lounge space that hadn't yet been occupied. The seats looked expensive, beyond anything even their parents made in a year. It had a good view of the garden; the two twins looked at one another; the awkward silence and Nia's frown made Lain scratch her cheek nervously. She yelped as Nia approached her, the longhaired girl wrapped her arms around her sister's neck, hugging her tightly.

"Why didn't you write to me? Why didn't you say you were even alive? I hear nothing from you; I have to hear that my little sister has joined a renegade ZAFT cell when a bunch of idiots in suits show up at my house? Why didn't you tell me before all of this happened?" Nia asked.

Lain could tell that her sister was close to tears. Nia had always been the toughest of them in terms of her confidence and up front nature. But Lain wasn't afraid to admit that Nia cried for their parents the most. She returned her sisters hug and smiled.

"I'm so sorry Nia, I'm so, so sorry. I wanted to contact you, to talk to you again, but there was always something going on, some mission or circumstance that prevented me from even writing. My time with Thanos and his team has been incredible, I've made so many new friends and we've done a lot to help people, not just in countries outside the alliance but in space too. There's so much I want to talk to you about, but there might not be enough time," Lain explained.

"Then we'll make time, come with me Lain, the path Thanos is leading you down sounds dangerous and if he fails not even Durandal will be able to keep you from being punished, especially if you end up killing one of our soldiers, come back with me Lain before it gets any worse," Nia said.

"No Nia, I have to stay with the Admiral, things are going to get worse but only because of Durandal's ambitions, and he has something really bad planned."

"And who told you that, Dagger Thanos?" Nia asked.

"I trust the admiral's judgement," Lain said.

"I trust his judgement too, and if you carry on like this not even he will be able to protect you. Thanos is suggesting taking on the entire world as one single militia, not even he can take on the whole world Lain," Nia grit her teeth together, frustrated by her sister's stubbornness.

"I have to follow my heart Nia, and my heart tells me that Durandal is bad news…we can't sacrifice our freedom," Lain muttered the words as if she had practiced them.

"What about us Lain, what about family? I'm your sister, we can find a home together again, like we promised…so long as we're together we'll know what a home is," Nia pulled out her locket, holding it close to Lain's face. "This was our promise to one another Lain, our promise to find each other and return home, because our home is wherever we are with one another, it can be the Plants, Earth, Sensou or ZAFT, so long as we're together we're home!"

Lain returned her sister's determined expression, but for entirely different reasons. She brushed Nia's hand aside, grimacing slightly at Nia's hurt expression.

"I've already found the place I can call home Nia, I found it two years ago," Lain said.

Nia widened her eyes as her sister walked past her.

"I'm sorry Nia, but I cant abandon the friends I've made, or the purpose I've formed within Thanos's new world, not even for you I'm afraid…I have to stop it, to stop the tragedies that lead to two sisters no longer seeing eye to eye," Lain let a few tears fall from her eyes before she walked away.

Nia turned to her sister, but the girl was gone and her legs seemed paralysed. They shook violently and her right hand cocooned the locket, gripping it so hard that it cut into her palm. Her gritting teeth devolved into out right grinding, she was so angry that she wanted to hit something. She wanted to hit her sister for abandoning her, she wanted to hit Thanos for brainwashing her, she even wanted to hit the politicians that declared her sister traitor, even though right now she could describe Lain as just that.

"Traitor," she growled, her fury doing nothing to disguise her tears. "God damn, fucking, asshole TRAITOR!" she yelled.

The young woman slammed her fist into the wall, kicking the nearest chair until it tipped over. She continually pounded at the wall, screaming an assortment of profanities that would have had her disciplined if just anyone had found her. She stopped however as a gloved hand gripped her shoulder. At this point she didn't care who it was, she just let her tears out.

"Why? Why does my sister have to be an enemy?" she asked.

The hand hesitantly tilted her chin and Nia looked into the blue eyes of Sensou's commander. He rubbed the side of his head and patted Nia's shoulder.

_"I'm sorry, I'm just…struggling to remember something, but looking at you and your talk of promises," he widened his eyes as a whole memory flashed before his eyes._

_"Are you okay?"_

_"Of course I'm okay shit head" she snipped. "I mean I didn't mean it like that"_

_"Then how did you mean it?" Vincent asked._

_Vincent crossed his arms as he waited for Nia to speak. She nervously closed her eyes before stepping forward._

_"Look I think you did the right thing a year ago okay? Sometimes its not good enough to stop the problem for a little while, sometimes the problem has to be gotten rid of altogether, and maybe…maybe what you did could have been done differently or maybe it was too late. Maybe you could have offered an escape for anyone who didn't agree with what was going on in that town or maybe there wasn't anyone like that in there but you did what you thought was right and made a tough choice that very few would have been able to make and I'm sure you'll carry the weight of that choice for the rest of your life. I think…I think that's noble in its own way okay?"_

_Vincent looked at the girl in shock while she blushed. He always had her pegged as the antisocial type._

_"Just…fuck it you have my support okay stupid? And if…shit if you need my help whenever and one of your people can't help or can't help then…if it doesn't conflict with my feelings or my duty then I'll help all right?"_

_"I thought Asuka was the only one that held a phone possessively."_

_Vincent turned around, smiling slightly as Nia walked to his side._

_"He thinks no one knows about it but we all know about it, he thinks we'll make fun of him for it but that's not true…its natural to cling to an object that reminds you of your loved ones," Nia explained, touching the pendant around her neck._

_"I know that, I'm just thinking whether I really want to know what the last thing my Dad said to me was," Vincent sighed, putting the phone in his pocket._

_STOP THE MACHINE'S UNSTABLE!" Sheryl yelled as the Gundam "bomb" surged with energy. "COMMANDER MOVE!"_

_Vincent was frozen in place as the device exploded, releasing a blast of Arc energy mixed with GN particles. The Purpose Mark 2 moved forward, kneeling behind Vincent and using its arms as shields._

_"VINCENT!" Nia yelled as she ran over to the scene._

_The other Minerva crewmembers stopped what they were doing, hearing or in Shinn's case seeing the explosion in the distance._

_"VINCENT! COMMANDER ARE YOU OKAY!"_

Nia and Sheryl ran over to the Purpose as it separated its arms. A digitised cry escaped the Gundam's speakers as it looked at Vincent. Sheryl and Nia both widened their eyes in horror as the curled up Vincent screamed. His face had been burnt beyond recognition, strands of his hair were spread out around his head and Nia covered her mouth as she saw a fragment of bone on his cheek, yet he was still alive and in complete agony.

"You…you were concerned for me, you have something that belongs to me, what was it?" Vincent asked.

Nia wiped her tears and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the mobile, putting it in Vincent's hand.

"Your dad left a message on there, I know it's painful to find out but you should really listen to it," Nia explained.

"My dad…I remember now…my dad's dead, oh god…he died in a hospice and I never visited him once," he gasped.

"Your father he…just listen to the message and you'll understand," Nia sighed.

"My father is gone and what is left of my family wants nothing to do with me," Vincent said.

"It's the same with my sister," she said.

Vincent lowered his head slightly as he put the phone in his pocket.

"Thank you for this Nia," he said as he walked past Nia. "If you ever need to talk I'll always be here!"

"Thank you Vincent," Nia smiled, wiping her eyes.

She smiled because she had hope that her commander could go back to being the man he was.

* * *

Lain returned to Thanos's side, just as their transport arrived. The driver wore a ZAFT uniform, but had absolute loyalty to Dagger's cause. That was why he was acting as a spy within Durandal's staff.

"Is it done?" Dagger asked the young girl.

"Yes sir, my sister won't join us," Lain wiped her eyes.

Dagger never lectured the people under his command about their emotions. Alls he asked of them was for them to draw on the power their emotions could give them, but not let themselves be ruled by those emotions. So he didn't mind Lain's tears, because he knew that despite how hard the confrontation was, Lain had passed her test of loyalty. However Lain noticed firmness in Dagger's eyes that he probably wouldn't have held if Lain had chosen to stay with her sister. He rewarded loyalty but respected people who stood by their convictions.

"Perhaps she will, perhaps she can be showed exactly how wrong Durandal's plan is," Dagger said.

Lain looked to her leader in shock, her young but intellectual mind seeing what he was proposing.

"You weren't exaggerating your resemblance, then again I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…you are identical twins after all," he didn't smirk or smile, because this wasn't a friendly conversation.

Lain widened her eyes in realization this wasn't just her test of loyalty, it was her assignment.

Far away from the now liberated city another battle was being fought. Zaku Kai's and Z'Gok's of the Thanos faction fought a devastating battle against an Orb scouting group. Murasume's flew across the sky, only to be shot down by Zaku Kai's. A Z'gok jumped onto one of the naval boats, stabbing an Astray with its claws and sidestepped another Astray's sword. The Z'Gok tore through the Astray's cockpit, opening its claw to fire a beam. The beam tore through the Astray and slammed into the ship's bridge. A Zaku Kai rolled across the ground, firing a fully automatic rifle at the Murasames flying over it. The Black Zaku Kai had claws attached to its wrists and missile pods built onto its legs.

"Idiots from Orb, oi Canard, maybe you should have taught your sister a little discipline," the pilot, a gruff English man said.

The Dreadnought H fired its cannons, hitting two Murasames.

"Maybe you should shut up Brian," Canard growled.

"I see it's too soon to joke about that, still the admiral would probably prefer you going renegade and trying to find your younger siblings," Brian explained.

The British pilot threw his rifle aside and slid out his wrist claws. He cut through two Astrays before stabbing another in the chest. The Zaku Kai drew two pistols from its hip and fired at any Astray that approached it.

"I said it once and I'll say it again, idiots from Orb, just because you have better machines than ours doesn't mean you'll be victorious this day," the man grinned.

He looked at his radar, which was blaring to alert him of an incoming signal. Canard widened his eyes as green beams tore through the Zaku Kai's chest.

"BRIAN!" Canard yelled.

The Zaku Kai blew up in a shower of metal and oil. Canard turned in the direction the beam came from, narrowing his eyes in fury.

"GEKIDO!" he roared.

A grey and blue jet flew out of the clouds. Its arms, legs and flight pack folded until a Gundam head popped out of the main body. The Gundam spread its arms out, revealing the green crystal on its chest, two sabres on its back and weapons that included a rifle with a gatling gun underneath the main barrel and a device on the right arm that resembled a shield, but didn't look like it would be as use as a defensive weapon. Clearly it was a hidden weapon.

"Gundam Mark 3 'Decade', pilot Gekido Jaeger…long time no see Canard Pars…how long has it been? Two years…who's counting anyway?" Gekido grinned.

Canard narrowed his eyes at Gekido comm. Image. The grey haired man was dressed in a grey ZAFT flight suit with a blue trim across the helmet and chest area.

"Is that really you Gekido?" Canard asked.

"You know I always was curious…about which one of us would win in a fight," Gekido put on a feral smile before drawing one of his beam sabres.

Both pilots let out bestial roars as they charged at one another, igniting a duel between former best friends that eclipsed the previous battle.

Next Chapter 31: Past regret

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time the we take a trip to the past as key characters of the conflict remember what happened before the war. Cain recalls his past at the Mendell project and how he met Sheryl, Canard remembers the day he left Kira and Cagalli as he battles with the Decade Gundam and Vincent struggles to recall details of his past.

Part of Dagger Thanos's rise to power, his actions on Mars and Jupiter can be seen in Gundam Rise Purpose.


End file.
